insecticide

The Failure of GMO Cotton In India

by Prof. Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Dr. Hans R. Herren and Dr. Peter E. Kenmore Grand claims are often made for GMO Bt cotton in India. Proponents point to increases in national cotton production, while Dr. ...
The post The Failure of GMO Cotton In India appeared first on Independent Science News | Food, Health and Agriculture Bioscience News.

Was the Skripal Affair triggered by a gardening accident?

The Skripal Affair and apparent poisoning of Julia and Sergei Skripal have thrown up a lot of theories and the evidence appears confusing and contradictory. The purpose of this article is to outline a possible alternative scenario which accounts for much of the evidence presented in the media and found through open-source investigation. This theory […]

Study Links Bangladeshi Children’s Deaths To Pesticide

A “Do Not Enter” sign marks a field of head cabbage during the spraying of pesticides near Chualar, Calif., Sept. 16, 2002. (AP/Mike Fiala)
The sudden deaths of 13 children in a remote village in Bangladesh was caused by exposure to a routinely used pesticide applied in a nearby lychee tree orchard, according to a scientific report released Monday.
The study published in American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene shed light on a mystery occurring in 2012, where 13 children all died of swelling of the brain called acute encephalitis syndrome.

In Case You Missed It: EPA Quietly Approved Monsanto’s RNAi Genetic Engineering Technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently and quietly approved Monsanto’s new genetic engineering technology, known as RNAi. [1]
The insecticide DvSnf7 dsRNA is not sprayed on crops. Instead, instructions for manufacturing it in the DNA of the crop itself must be encoded in crops. The plants’ self-made DvSnf7 dsRNA disrupts a crucial gene in western corn rootworms – a major threat to corn – and kills the pests.

Pesticides Known to Kill Bees Found in U.S. Drinking Water

On April 5, a team of chemists and engineers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Iowa reported that they had discovered neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides, in treated drinking water. This finding marks the first time anyone has identified the chemicals in tap water. [1]
Gregory LeFevre, a study author and University of Iowa environmental engineer, said:

“Having these types of compounds present in water does have the potential to be concerning, but we don’t really know, at this point, what these levels might be.” [1]

EPA Won’t Ban Chlorpyrifos Pesticide Despite Proof that It’s Dangerous

Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that has the potential to harm both children and farm workers, but the EPA – the same agency that drew these conclusions – says it will not ban the chemical.
On March 26, 2017, EPA chief Scott Pruitt rejected his agency’s own chemical safety experts who, under Barack Obama, had recommended that chlorpyrifos – one of the nation’s most widely used insecticides – be permanently banned from agricultural use nationwide because of the danger it poses to farm workers. [1]

CDC Urges Spraying Chemicals to Rid of Zika Virus in Puerto Rico

US Health officials have become increasingly concerned by the rate Zika is spreading in the territory of Puerto Rico. The disease is spreading so quickly, that it is claimed as many as 50 pregnant women a day are becoming infected. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control is urging Puerto Rico to spray the affected area with pesticides.