Pesticides

GMOs 101

The term “genetically modified organism” (GMO) occurs when genetic material has been changed in a way that does not occur naturally. It can also can be referred to as genetically engineered (GE) or transgenic. The genetically engineered seeds that are destined to be in our food, have their DNA artifically altered in the laboratory using …

In Our Blood

For all the empty promises the bioseed corporations have made to try and convince consumers that GMO food is safe, a study from University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada is perhaps the most telling. Genetically modified crops include genes extracted from bacteria to make them resistant to pest attacks. The toxin is derived from a …

Toxic Chemical Cocktails

‘We now eat food grown by unnatural processes which make use of a host of chemical substances: hormones, antibiotics, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides – of which residues are to be found in nearly all the food commercially available today.’ Edward Goldsmith, The Ecologist, Vol 30 No 7, October 2000 Although toxicologists are able to investigate single …

To Our Good Health

The danger of transgenic food whether boxed or slaughtered is not that the consumer suffers an acute onset of disease. The danger is in the concentrations of bio-ag chemicals in the body over time, just like the deadly effects of cigarette smoking. Within the last three decades, coinciding with the increased ingestion of transgenic ingredients, …

Study Shows Roundup Damages Sperm

In the first study to measure the delayed effects of exposure to Roundup on sperm in mammals, the molecular biology department at the University of Caen, France, found that rats exposed to the glyphosate based pesticide Roundup altered testicular function after only 8 days of exposure at a concentration of only 0.5%. This concentration is …

Chalk One Up for the Good Guys

An important and controversial piece of independent research that provides new insights into the risks of genetically modified organisms in food was republished in 2014. The events around the retraction pointed to how far agri-corporations will go to protect their very lucrative market. In 2013, a research paper was summarily retracted without just cause by …

New Pesticide Rules for California Strawberries

California is the leading producer of strawberries in the U.S. In 2013, more than 2.3 billion pounds of strawberries were harvested annually. Of the 16.3 percent exported, Canada imports the majority of California’s fresh and frozen strawberry produce. So do California’s new pesticide rulings make these treasured sweet berries safe to eat? Unfortunately not. California …

Brain Damaging Chemical Lurking in Your Food

Pregnant moms exposed to a common insecticide used in farming could give birth to children who go on to develop brain damage years later, according to a new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The chemical in question is chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide that was banned for residential use …

Fighting Back: Lawsuit Challenges Pesticide Spraying near Schools, Homes, Organic Farms

The City of Berkeley, the Environmental Working Group and the Pesticide Action Network along with eight other activist groups, sued the California Department of Food and Agriculture over the agency’s approval of a statewide “pest management” plan that allows pesticide spraying on schools, organic farms and residential yards, including aerial spraying over homes in rural …

Study Links Pesticides and Autism

A recent California-based study has uncovered a strong link between pesticides and autism. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, MIND Institute examined associations between specific classes of pesticides, including organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates, applied during participants pregnancies. The data revealed pregnant women who live in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides …