Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of manufactured chemicals widely used by a range of industries and commonly found in a large number of consumer products. One common characteristic of PFAS is that they persist in the environment and can accumulate in humans and animals. For this reason, they are often … PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ tied to cancer, birth defects
Exposure to “forever chemicals” in drinking water is significantly associated with the increased risk of multiple cancers, including some not previously linked to these toxic compounds, a first-of-its-kind study shows.
High exposure to multiple pesticides may cause childhood and adolescent cancers, especially brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide, disrupts female hormones and damages the ovaries and uterus in ways that can make it more difficult for women to get pregnant, according to a new review of human and animal research.
Menthol cigarette smokers had a higher risk of dying from any health cause, including heart disease, compared to former non-menthol cigarette smokers, according to what researchers say is the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind.
Glyphosate, a synthetic herbicide best known as the active ingredient in Roundup®, has significantly harmed the health of babies in rural U.S. communities over the last two decades—especially those already at risk of poor birth outcomes, new research shows.
U.S. medical specialists – from neurosurgeons to anesthesiologists and oncologists – received billions of dollars worth of individual payments not related to research from pharmaceutical and medical device industries in recent years, new research shows.
Long-term exposure to even small amounts of air pollution from vehicles promotes abnormal changes in the liver—potentially increasing the risk of fatty liver disease, according to new research in mice. Mice exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5, or tiny pollutant particles of 2.5 micrometers or less) for 12 weeks showed inflammation in the liver, more … Even low levels of traffic air pollution can damage the liver, new study shows
Most infant formulas in the U.S. contain added sugars that can harm early development, new research shows. Babies may come upwards of 60 grams of added sugars — the equivalent of two soft drinks per day — if they are entirely formula-fed.
Drinking water contaminated by human-made “forever chemicals” appears to impair children’s immunity, potentially increasing the risk of common childhood infections, new research shows.
A new study reveals that tiny particles from our laundry, food packaging, tires, personal care products, and other items end up in West Coast seafood we commonly eat.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in the month before birth dramatically increases the odds of newborns being admitted to NICUs in the U.S., new research suggests.
A senior scientist at the former Monsanto Co. on Tuesday told jurors in a California trial that regulators around the world support the company’s position that its glyphosate-based herbicides, such as the popular Roundup brand, are safe for users. Donna Farmer, who worked as a toxicologist at Monsanto for more than two decades and now … Monsanto scientist tells jurors company’s side of Roundup cancer controversy
By Stacy Malkan The world’s largest pesticide and seed companies want you to believe they are on the side of science. High-tech foods are the future, they say, and people who raise concerns about their pesticides and genetically engineered seeds are “anti-science.” The Atlantic magazine will provide a platform to those industry talking points in … Transforming the Food We Eat With DowDuPont
USRTK Research Director Carey Gillam’s new book is out now and garnering glowing reviews. Here is a brief description of the book from publisher Island Press: Lee Johnson was a man with simple dreams. All he wanted was a steady job and a nice home for his wife and children, something better than the hard … The Monsanto Papers – Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice
A new study published Tuesday found that after switching to an organic diet for just a few days, people could cut the levels of a pesticide linked to cancer found in their urine by more than 70 percent. The researchers collected a total of 158 urine samples from four families –seven adults and nine children … U.S. study shows switch to organic diet can quickly clear pesticide from our bodies
(Updated June 10 with state regulatory announcement about seed company clean-up efforts.) An “environmental catastrophe” unfolding in Nebraska is drawing scrutiny from around the United States and sparking questions about why regulators were unwilling or unable to rein in years of questionable activities by the company known as AltEn LLC. AltEn has been operating an … “Environmental catastrophe” in Nebraska tied to pesticide-contaminating plant; See regulatory docs on AltEn neonicotinoid problems
As summer turns to fall, the Maine landscape is beautiful to behold. Lush forests stretch as far as the eye can see in a tapestry of green, yellow and crimson-colored leaves. Every few miles along a narrow roadway, restored wooden barns adjoin modest homes set on tidy acres where farm families coax food from the … A Message from Maine: It’s Time to Get Serious About Sustainability
Insiders at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have alleged dozens of violations of the agency’s “scientific integrity ” policy over the last few years, including complaints of political interference and tampering with chemical risk assessments, but nearly all the complaints have been ignored, according to an analysis conducted by a nonprofit group representing EPA employees. … EPA’s “scientific integrity” program lacks teeth, group alleges
Increased exposure to outdoor air pollution in early life can make it harder for children to learn and process information, especially in terms of critical thinking and non-verbal tasks, a new study reports.
Ultra-processed foods can accelerate aging and the decline of your body’s health, even if you generally eat healthy foods, say Italian researchers in a new report based on the largest population study of its kind in Europe.
Monsanto and Bayer’s PR helpers are an industry unto themselves.
Drug and medical device companies are courting medical students and early-career clinicians with promotional activities that endanger patient health, experts say.
Targets to cut the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture were dropped from a key United Nations (UN) political declaration following push back from the agriculture and veterinary drug industry and meat-producing nations comprising the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Fueled by digital technology, the gambling industry is more harmful to public health than previously known and needs strict regulation, experts say.
Faster progress towards ending tobacco smoking over the next three decades could extend lives and prevent millions of premature deaths worldwide, making it one of the single most critical health interventions, a new study shows.
Two new studies underscore the urgency of research on microplastic, reporting that potential health and environmental risks from “leave-on” cosmetic and personal care products are largely ignored by researchers and regulators.
American officials worried that calling out the Wuhan Institute of Virology would “demand access that we ourselves would never provide.”
On January 10, 2021 The Guardian published this story about a small rural Nebraska community that has been struggling for at least two years with contamination tied to neonicotinoid-coated corn seed. The source is an area ethanol plant that has been marketing itself as a free “recycling” location for seed companies such as Bayer, Syngenta … Neonicotinoids: a growing concern
A plan to delay any new Roundup cancer claims for years and shift the key question of whether or not the weed killer causes cancer from a jury to a hand-picked panel of scientists faces potential opposition from some of the plaintiffs’ attorneys who initiated and led the mass tort claims against Roundup maker Monsanto, … Challenge eyed to class action plan for Bayer Roundup settlement
As Bayer AG seeks to discount concerns that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides cause cancer, several new studies are raising questions about the chemical’s potential impact on reproductive health. An assortment of animal studies released this summer indicate that glyphosate exposures impact reproductive organs and could threaten fertility, adding fresh evidence that the weed killing agent might … New weed killer studies raise concern for reproductive health
A new animal study by a group of European researchers has found that low levels of the weed killing chemical glyphosate and the glyphosate-based Roundup product can alter the composition of the gut microbiome in ways that may be linked to adverse health outcomes. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is … New study finds glyphosate-related alterations in gut microbiome
A federal judge appointed to coordinate proceedings for claims that Syngenta AG’s paraquat weed killers cause Parkinson’s disease said Wednesday she was setting a jury trial date for Nov. 15, 2022. U.S. Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the Southern District of Illinois issued the order in an initial hearing with lawyers from multiple firms who are … U.S. judge sets trial in litigation against Syngenta alleging weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease
Lawyers involved in U.S. litigation accusing Syngenta AG of spending decades selling an herbicide that causes Parkinson’s disease are moving toward selection of a bellwether trial to be held roughly a year from now, according to the federal judge overseeing the litigation. In a hearing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the Southern … Litigation alleging Syngenta’s paraquat weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease moving toward trial
Lawyers suing Swiss chemical company Syngenta are asking a U.S. judicial panel to consolidate more than a dozen similar lawsuits under the oversight of a federal judge in California. The move is a telling sign of the expansion of litigation that alleges the company’s weed killing products cause Parkinson’s Disease. According to the motion, filed … Move to consolidate U.S. paraquat litigation as cases mount against Syngenta
A federal judge has denied Swiss chemical company Syngenta’s effort to throw out one of a growing number of lawsuits alleging the company’s weed killing products cause Parkinson’s Disease. The decision offers a boost for the expanding number of law firms and plaintiffs making similar claims. In an April 12 ruling, U.S. District Judge John … Federal court rejects Syngenta’s bid to toss lawsuit over paraquat herbicide
Six more lawsuits alleging Syngenta’s weed killing pesticide paraquat causes Parkinson’s Disease were filed last week in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois, adding to more than a dozen similar lawsuits already filed in U.S. courts. The lawsuits all allege that exposure to paraquat, which is banned in more than 30 countries though not in the … Paraquat litigation grows, first trial set for May 10
A highly anticipated first-ever trial pitting a group of farmers against the global agricultural giant Syngenta AG over allegations that Syngenta’s paraquat weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease has been delayed until June, the parties involved said on Saturday. The trial was set to begin Monday, livestreamed by Courtroom View Network, but a continuance was ordered … Trial pitting farmers against Syngenta delayed until June
(UPDATED May 18 with pretrial order) As Bayer AG works to put an end to costly litigation over alleged connections between Roundup herbicide and cancer, the company faces a critical hearing on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco. At issue in the hearing is a proposed $2 billion class action settlement structured by Bayer … Key court hearing Wednesday in Bayer cancer liability litigation
A highly anticipated first-ever trial pitting a group of farmers against the global agricultural giant Syngenta AG over allegations that Syngenta’s paraquat weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease has been delayed again and may not take place at all, according to sources close to the case. The trial in the case of Hoffman V. Syngenta was … Another delay for trial set to examine allegation that Syngenta weed killer causes Parkinson’s
A U.S. judicial panel has ordered the pretrial consolidation of dozens of lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron over allegations that paraquat weed killer, which has been used widely around the world for more than 50 years, causes Parkinson’s disease. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said that “to date, 77 actions and potential tag-along … Consolidation approved for lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron over herbicide
See Carey Gillam’s article in The Guardian, Corporate studies asserting herbicide safety show many flaws, new analysis finds (July 2, 2021). In this post we provide links to the 53 once-secret studies and related materials. Questions about the safety of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) have persisted for years, as scientific research has split over whether or … New analysis of glyphosate industry studies finds them outdated, flawed
Children’s health expert Ruth Etzel on Monday testified in a public hearing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked to silence and harass her, removing her from a top-level position after she complained about agency delays in advancing a lead poisoning prevention program. In testimony before Merit Systems Protection Board Judge Joel Alexander, Etzel described … EPA whistleblower testifies her advocacy for stronger health protections drew agency retaliation
Syngenta AG is facing a growing number of U.S. lawsuits over allegations that its paraquat herbicide causes Parkinson’s disease, with a Fresno, California man pushing for an expedited trial that potentially would start within the next few months, and multiple plaintiffs’ lawyers jockeying for power and influence over future trial proceedings. Plaintiff George Isaak used … Litigation against Syngenta grows; lawyers fight over evidence and trial dates
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a long and well-documented history of questionable conduct when it comes to regulation of chemicals important to the profit centers for many large and powerful corporations. Numerous examples show a pattern of agency actions that allow for the use of dangerous chemicals by consumers, farmers, groundskeepers and others … EPA exposed for hiding chemical risks, favoring corporate interests
Multiple lawsuits are pending in the United States against Syngenta alleging the weedkilling chemical paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease. A notice of settlement was filed June 18, 2021 for several paraquat cases. See this document. But more than 400 lawsuits are pending. The lawsuits name Syngenta as well as Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. and Growmark Inc. … Paraquat Papers – Updates to U.S. litigation
After three stunning courtroom losses in California, the legal battle over the safety of Monsanto’s top-selling Roundup herbicide is headed for the company’s hometown, where corporate officials can be forced to appear on the witness stand, and legal precedence shows a history of anti-corporate judgments. Sharlean Gordon, an cancer-stricken woman in her 50s, is the … Up Next – Trial In Monsanto’s Hometown Set for August After $2 Billion Roundup Cancer Verdict
After several months out of the headlines, lawyers for both sides of the nationwide Roundup cancer litigation are gearing up for overlapping trials in the new year as several more cancer patients seek to blame Monsanto for their diseases. Six trials are currently set to take place starting in January, with one in February, two … Six Monsanto Roundup Cancer Trials Set for January
The heaviest of Big Ag’s heavy hitters told a federal court it should not try to stop GMO cotton and soybean farmers from using illegal dicamba weed killers through the end of July, despite the court’s order earlier this month for an immediate ban. Six national trade associations, all of which have long-standing financial ties … Big Ag groups argue court cannot tell EPA when to ban dicamba
A year ago Thailand was set to ban the widely used weed killing chemical glyphosate, a move applauded by public health advocates because of evidence the chemical causes cancer, along with other harms to people and the environment. But under heavy pressure from U.S. officials, Thailand’s government reversed the planned ban on glyphosate last November … Thailand’s reversal on glyphosate ban came after Bayer scripted U.S. intervention, documents show
