Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

(Beyond Pesticides, August 24, 2026) As the number of seed companies, which are also pesticide companies, consolidate through mergers, farmers face challenges associated with fewer seed choices, higher prices, less diversity, and proprietary genetically engineered organisms. To combat these problems, a nationwide action has been launched to tell members of the U.S. Congress to cosponsor the Fair …

(Beyond Pesticides, August 21, 2026) National environmental and health groups last week sued Driscoll’s, the fresh berry company, for allegedly misleading consumers about its hazardous practices and claims that its production practices and materials are “in harmony with the environment.” The case, Beyond Pesticides, Organic Consumers Association, and Toxin Free USA v. Driscoll’s Inc., was filed i…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 20, 2026) The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced on August 10, 2026, that all manufacturers of the toxic weed killer paraquat will voluntarily phase out the production and sale of products of this pesticide over two years. Instead of an immediate stop-use order, and despite the known adverse human health effects like neurodegeneration and Park…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 19, 2026) Adding to the wide body of science linking pesticides and resistance, a review in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology shows how persistent pesticide use disrupts microbial ecosystems and promotes antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR). Pesticides drive changes in microbial diversity, leading to adver…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 18, 2026) In a review of the current scientific literature on Parkinson’s disease (PD), published in Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, exposure to environmental contaminants and conditions, including pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, infectious agents, air pollutants, and climate change, is linked to neurodegeneration, the process where nerve cells in the bra…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 17, 2026) A nationwide action is calling on the U.S. Congress to keep pesticides and other toxic chemicals out of infant formula. An article, “Pesticide contamination in infant formula: A Systematic review,” in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology (2026) concludes, “[T]he contamination of infant formula does not concern a single class of substances, but manifests i…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 14, 2026) The issue of pesticide contamination hits close to home for parents concerned about potential exposure pathways through food and related products specifically consumed by infants, toddlers, and children. A new piece of legislation, H.R.9788, introduced by U.S. Representative Brian Mast (R-FL), would mandate the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 13, 2026) A study published in Environmental Pollution detected 30 percent of the 50 target compounds across summer and winter seasons, with evidence of off-target drift on untreated surrounding plants. Importantly, the researchers find that pre-bloom pesticide applications fail to protect pollinators, and that residues detected before scheduled pesticide applications e…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 12, 2026) As research continues to mount showcasing the deleterious effects of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has acknowledged that trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an ultra-short-chain PFAS and pesticide metabolite (breakdown product), is more toxic than previously thought. In lowering the dietary safe levels of TFA, E…

(Beyond Pesticides, August 11, 2026) A study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment finds that organic land management “enhances the activity of soil enzymes, particularly on sandy soils” that are generally known to have poorer retention capabilities of both water and essential nutrients that facilitate soil productivity. The researchers point to improved nutrient cycling and decompos…