Indoor plants bring life, color, and a touch of nature into our homes, turning ordinary spaces into vibrant green sanctuaries. Yet many plant lovers quickly discover a common challenge: pests. In the warm, enclosed environment of a home, insects like spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, and fungus gnats can spread rapidly, often going unnoticed until leaves […]
Commercial pesticides: Not as safe as they seem
New regulations are needed to protect people and the environment from toxic pesticide ingredients that are not currently subject to safety assessments. This is the conclusion of the first comprehensive review of gaps in risk assessments for “adjuvants” — ingredients added to pesticide formulations to enhance the function or application of the active ingredient. Ignoring […]
A better way to wash pesticides off apples
Polishing an apple with your shirt might remove some dust and dirt, but getting rid of pesticide residues could take a little more work. Researchers now report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, that washing apples with a common household product — baking soda — could do the trick for residues on the surfaces […]
The Bitter Price of Tropical Fruits
Sweet, healthy and delicious, and inexpensive to boot, pineapples are one of the world’s most desired fruits. On average, the world eats more than 26,000 tons of pineapples each year. But hidden beneath their low-price tag lies an industry riddled with heavy pesticide use, water pollution, deforestation and the exploitation of farmworkers, who are forced […]
High pesticide exposure among farmers linked to poor sense of smell later
A Michigan State University study is the first to show an association between unusually high pesticide exposure and poor sense of smell among aging farmers. The research examined more than 11,200 farmers over a 20-year period. At the start of the study, about 16 percent of participants reported having experienced a high pesticide exposure event, […]
New Research Suggests Common Herbicides Are Linked To Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotics are losing their ability to kill bacteria. One of the main reasons for the rise in antibiotic resistance is the improper use of antibiotics, but our latest research shows that the ingredients in commonly-used weed killers like Round-up and Kamba can also cause bacteria to become less susceptible to antibiotics. Herbicides induce gene activity Already, about […]
Risks from Lawn Care Pesticides
Pesticides are intentionally toxic substances. Some chemicals commonly used on lawns and gardens have been associated with birth defects, mutations, adverse reproductive effects, and cancer in laboratory animals. EPA permits over 200 different pesticides to be used for lawn care, and these are often mixed together and sold as chemical combinations. Approximately 35 pesticides are […]
Alarming Levels Of Monsanto’s Glyphosate Found In Popular American Foods
A pesticide containing weedkiller has been found “at alarming levels” in popular foods across the US including cereal and snacks. Honey Nut Cheerios, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes and Doritos Cool Ranch, Ritz Crackers are among the affected products. These best-sellers were reportedly found to contain higher than average traces of glyphosate […]
Seed Matters: Cartoon About An Organic Seed With a Dirty Mouth
The fact that today, most seeds that grow our food are bred by agrochemical companies to be chemically dependent is totally @#$%’d up. To try and shed some light on an alternative method of growing our food stuffs, we partnered with our new friends The Butler Bros and the Clif Bar Family Foundation to create […]
Pesticides: More Toxic Than Previously Thought?
Insecticides that are sprayed in orchards and fields across North America may be more toxic to spiders than scientists previously believed. A McGill research team reached this conclusion after looking at changes in the behavior of individual Bronze Jumping Spiders both before and after exposure to Phosmet, a widely used broad spectrum insecticide. It is […]