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NEWS ABOUT: pesticide

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Insects, Diseases Invaded After 9/11

Tiny terrors infect food supply, bump prices

(Newser) - America's obsession with terrorism after 9/11 has left our borders prone to the tiniest of invaders, an AP study finds. Focused on guns and bombs, inspectors have overlooked foreign insects and plant diseases that menace the country's food supply, send prices soaring, and leave pesticide residue on food.... More »

Dozens Sickened Trying to Kill Bedbugs

CDC even reports one death over misguided use of pesticides

(Newser) - Don’t let the bedbugs bite—but if they do, don’t panic. While the creatures themselves aren’t known to cause much more than itching, the chemicals used to get rid of them have been linked to 111 illnesses and a death between 2003 and 2010, a CDC study... More »

Uh-Oh: Bugs Develop Resistance to Franken-Corn

Genetically modified crop no longer fends off all pests

(Newser) - Farmers in Iowa who planted corn seeds genetically modified to fend off the dreaded corn rootworm are seeing a troubling sign: The rootworm is apparently developing a resistance to the Monsanto seeds and gobbling up cornfields again, say Iowa University researchers. It's still just a small percentage of rootworms... More »

USDA: Cilantro Loaded With Unapproved Pesticides

USDA finds 34 chemicals not approved for herb in sample batch

(Newser) - Your salsa might have an extra kick for a different reason: The USDA tested a batch of cilantro and found traces of 34 pesticides unapproved for the herb, reports the Chicago Tribune . Nearly half of the cilantro samples tested, about 80% of which were grown in the US, came up... More »

Pesticide Exposure in Womb May Lower IQ

Three studies suggest a link to kids' intelligence

(Newser) - Three new studies suggest that pregnant women exposed to pesticides have kids with lower average IQs, reports USA Today . But let's not be too alarmist about applying these findings, cautions the Los Angeles Times . Along those lines, one of the study's lead authors offers this takeaway message for... More »

Bedbugs Scoff at Our Puny Pesticides

They just keep getting better at building up resistance

(Newser) - Bedbugs are starting to take on the characteristics of comic book villains. The first comprehensive study shows that as we keep dosing them with pesticides, they keep getting stronger, reports the Wall Street Journal . They've quickly developed natural defenses on three fronts—better nerve centers to fight off the chemicals,... More »

Stink Bugs Invade Eastern US

Vacuum these well-armored critters, experts advise

(Newser) - Stink bugs have infested the eastern US, devouring crops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and nearby states, CBS News reports. The brown marmorated stink bug has no interest in people, but farmers hate the insect because of its voracious appetite for crops and because it, well, stinks. (When threatened, it emits a... More »

Victoria's Secret Store Infested: Bedbugs Are Back

Recent NYC store closures mark comeback

(Newser) - The recent closures of a Victoria's Secret and an Abercrombie & Fitch to rid the New York City stores of bedbugs are only the latest example of the strong comeback the blood-drinking bugs are making worldwide. Bedbugs were largely eradicated from the US in the 1950s, but now they're back... More »

Pesticide Patrol: The Dozen Worst Fruits and Veggies

Soft, thin skin more susceptible to chemicals

(Newser) - Fruits and vegetables with soft skin are more likely to absorb pesticides than others, a new food safety investigation finds. Dubbing them America's "dirty dozen," the Environmental Working Group says they contain as many as 47 to 67 pesticides per serving even after being washed with a USDA-approved... More »

Study: Most Herbal Supplements Contaminated

Crackdown unlikely to make it into food safety bill

(Newser) - Herbal supplements are often contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals, and sellers are prone to making illegal claims about their health benefits, a congressional study has found. Almost all 40 dietary supplements tested had trace amounts of contaminants like lead and mercury, and 16 of the samples contained pesticide residues... More »

Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Parents should buy organic or wash food well

(Newser) - ADHD diagnoses rose a staggering 3% a year in the US between 1997 and 2006, and a new study suggests that pesticides may be part of the reason why. Researchers analyzed more than 1,100 kids ages 8 to 15 and discovered that those with detectable, above-average levels of toxic... More »

Cancer Risk From Chemicals 'Grossly' Understated

Carcinogens in food, water systematically ignored

(Newser) - Environmental factors play a much bigger role in causing cancer than currently acknowledged, and President Obama needs to do something about it, the President's Cancer Panel concluded today. “The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated,” the authors found after two years of testimony and... More »

Honeybees Stung by Bad Winter, Pesticides

4-year run of dropping numbers just got worse

(Newser) - Beleaguered honeybees are having a harder time than ever before after an especially harsh winter and heavy pesticides discovered in their hives and pollen. A massive die-off of the valuable creatures is topping off 4 years of troubling population declines. Scientists are trying to nail down the exact mechanism causing... More »

Pesticide-Busting Brit Super Rats Spark Health Concerns

(Newser) - Britain's surging rat population is becoming immune to common poisons, spurring public heath concerns and calls for stronger pesticides, reports the Guardian. Rodents in at least two towns are impervious to normal control methods. In addition, years of mild winters and wet summers have boosted vermin populations by 66% in... More »

Birth Defects May Be Tied to Pesticide Levels

(Newser) - Babies conceived between April and July—the period when surface-water concentrations of pesticides are at their highest—run an increased risk of having a birth defect, Reuters reports. “Our study didn't prove a cause and effect link,” the lead researcher said, but “the fact that birth defects... More »

Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study

Research contradicts previous government denials

(Newser) - Gulf War syndrome is real, and "few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time," according to a scientific study commissioned by Congress. Nearly a quarter of the 700,000 troops who served in the first Gulf War suffer from neurological problems related to exposure to chemicals during... More »

New Fungus Linked to Bat Die-Offs

Scientists probe mass deaths in caves

(Newser) - Scientists have identified a new fungus that might be responsible for the mass deaths of bats in the Northeast. If the findings are borne out, they could help researchers understand and eventually stop the contagion—dubbed white-nose syndrome—that has wiped out entire colonies in their caves, the Los Angeles ... More »

Bayer Knew Pesticide Killed Bees, Critics Charge

(Newser) - A German prosecutor is investigating allegations that chemical giant Bayer CropScience knowingly sold a pesticide that kills honeybees, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The investigation follows complaints from German beekeepers and environmentalists that the company covered up incriminating data on chlothianidine. In the US, meanwhile, an environmental group sued... More »

'Super Termite' Found in Fla.

Fast-eating bug known to cause panic among homeowners

(Newser) - One of the world's most feared termites has been caught gnawing on a Florida Gulfport home. Exterminators say they have saved the house, but admit that the "super termites"—or Formosan subterraneans—included winged swarmers, which indicates that that colony has existed for more than 5 years. "... More »

Bat Deaths Perplex Scientists

Syndrome could devastate population

(Newser) - Experts are still in the dark about what’s causing the deaths of vast numbers of bats in the Northeast, but some theories have emerged, Salon reports. Some scientists believe white-nose syndrome is driven by global warming, while others are looking hard at pesticides. In either case, humans may have... More »

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