Group of Senators Push for Ban of the Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos

A group of senators introduced a bill on July 25, 2017 in the hopes of banning Chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide implicated in the poisonings of farm workers. Introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, the bill challenges President Trump’s efforts to loosen environmental regulations. [1]

Chlorpyrifos Ban and Recent History

• In April 2017, the EPA said it would not ban chlorpyrifos, despite the agency’s own chemical safety experts, who had recommended under the Obama administration that the pesticide be permanently banned from agricultural use nationwide, due to the dangers it poses to farm workers and young children.

• In late 2016, the EPA concluded that chlorpyrifos exposure was causing potentially significant health issues, including learning and memory declines, especially among farm workers and young children.

• On July 18, 2017, a federal appeals court denied a petition by green groups to force the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos. [2]

Several manufacturers produce chlorpyrifos, including Dow Chemical. It is listed as a neurotoxin by the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

EPA: 97% of Endangered Species Threatened By 2 Pesticides, Including Chlorpyrifos

According to Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician who is dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the toxicity of chlorpyrifos was proven “to damage the brains of children, especially those of fetuses in the womb” in 3 long-term, independently-funded studies “beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Toxic residues of chlorpyrifos are regularly found on fruits and vegetables, including under the peels of oranges and other citrus fruits, as well as in the flesh of melons under the rind. Simply washing a piece of fruit before eating it is not enough to remove the pesticide. [2]

The EPA’s own scientists concluded that the amount of chlorpyrifos ingested by young children could exceed safety levels by 140 times.

The agency’s failure to ban chlorpyrifos could be construed as criminal, considering it is illegal under federal law to apply pesticides to food crops if the EPA can’t prove that they can be used safely.

Under the bill, the EPA would be required to conduct a broad review of the uses of chlorpyrifos to determine which groups are most vulnerable to the toxin. Should that review conclude that people are being exposed to harmful levels of the pesticide, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt would be forced to take “appropriate regulatory action” within 3 months by either suspending or revoking chlorpyrifos’ registration, or lowering the amount that can be legally applied. [1]

Udall stated:

“Congress must act because Administrator Pruitt has shown that he won’t.”

Senators Ben Cardin of Maryland, Kamala Harris of California, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Richard Durbin of Illinois and Ed Markey of Massachusetts are co-sponsoring the piece of legislation. [1]

Sources:

[1] Reuters

[2] National Resources Defense Council

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Judge Rules General Mills Can Label Nature Valley Granola Bars “Natural”

A California federal judge has ruled that General Mills may continue to label its Nature Valley granola bars as “natural,” despite tests which showed they contained traces of the chemical glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide RoundUp and a multitude of other weedkillers. [1]

Judge Michael Davis dismissed a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit consumer groups Organic Consumers Association, Moms Across America, and Beyond Pesticides, which alleged General Mills was misleading buyers by claiming the granola bars were “Made with 100% natural whole grain oats.”

The groups said third-party laboratory testing detected 0.45 parts per million (ppm) of glyphosate in the granola bars, and believed oats were the culprit.

The case was thrown out by Davis last week, who noted in the dismissal order that the amount of glyphosate was permissible under law, even for certified organic foods.

The EPA’s tolerance level for cereal grains is 30 ppm, and food labeled “organic” can contain chemical pesticide residue of less than 5% of that amount.

Davis also said that even if the oats contain trace amounts of glyphosate, the groups had not alleged that the oats, themselves, were not natural.

He wrote:

“The packaging does not state that the product. as a whole, is ‘100% natural’.”

He added:

“It is implausible that a reasonable consumer would believe that a product labeled as having one ingredient — oats — that is ‘100% Natural’ could not contain a trace amount of glyphosate that is far below the amount permitted for organic products.

There is no dispute that the products were made with whole grain oats that, themselves, are ‘100% Natural’. Even if the glyphosate traces are present on the oats, there is no allegation that the oats, themselves, are not natural. The packaging does not state that the product, as a whole, is ‘100% Natural.’

It is not plausible that a representation that one ingredient in a product — in this case, oats — is ‘100% Natural’ means that the product as a whole does not contain traces of synthetic ingredients. Plaintiffs cannot claim a breach or misrepresentation based on a warranty that defendant never gave.” [2]

What is “Natural” Anyway?

In the fall of 2015, the FDA opened a public comment period for people to share their thoughts on what the word “natural” means, as it pertains to food products, because there is no set definition. Food companies commonly toss terms around like “natural,” “all-natural,” and “made with natural ingredients” but make no effort to specify what they mean.

General Mills has had legal problems pertaining to its Nature Valley bars in the past, including in 2014, when, as part of a settlement, it was required to remove the label “100% Natural” from more than 20 of its products because the bars contained high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and other synthetically-produced ingredients.

Other companies have faced similar legal action over claims that their products are natural, including Kellogg’s Kashi brand, and PepsiCo’s Naked Juices.

Sources:

[1] BakeryAndSnacks

[2] Food Business News

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Sunscreen Ingredient Becomes Toxic in Sunlight and Water

A chemical commonly found in sunscreen breaks down into toxic compounds when exposed to sun and water, research shows.

Avobenzone is an oil-soluble compound that is notable for its ability to absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. It is most often an ingredient in sunscreen and cosmetics, including lip balms and moisturizers. The compound converts UV rays into safer wavelengths that don’t damage the skin, and transforms UV energy into thermal energy. [1]

The chemical was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in commercial cosmetics in 1988. It is a known endocrine-disruptor.

According to researchers in Russia, exposure to water and sunlight causes avobenzone to break down into chemicals that are potentially dangerous to people.

When the team exposed avobenzone to a chlorinated water solution simulating that used in swimming pools, the ingredient broke down into a mix of aromatic acids, aldehydes, phenols, and acetyl benzenes, several of them extremely toxic. Researchers tracked the process using chromatomass spectrometry. [2]

Albert Lebedev, a chemist at Lomonosov Moscow State University, said in a news release:

“On the basis of the experiments one could make a conclusion that a generally safe compound transforms in the water and forms more dangerous products. In spite of the fact that there are no precise toxicological profiles for the most established products, it’s known that acetyl benzenes and phenols, especially chlorinated ones, are quite toxic.” [2]

Read: Environmental Working Group Releases 2017 Guide to Sunscreens

He added:

“Studying the products of transformation of any popular cosmetics is very important as very often they turn out to be much more toxic and dangerous than their predecessors. In principle, basing on such researches, one could obtain results, which could restrict or even put under a ban the usage of one or another product, and preserve health of millions of people.” [1]

Lebedev and his colleagues are now studying how avobenzone breaks down in seawater and freshwater.

Sources:

[1] UPI

[2] R&D

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About Mike Barrett:
	Mike is the co-founder, editor, and researcher behind Natural Society. Studying the work of top natural health activists, and writing special reports for top 10 alternative health websites, Mike has written hundreds of articles and pages on how to obtain optimum wellness through natural health.

Arkansas Temporarily Bans the Sale and Use of Dicamba Herbicide

After hundreds of Arkansas farmers claimed their crops had been harmed by the weed-killer dicamba, which was sprayed on neighboring fields, the Arkansas Plant Board voted June 23, 2017, to impose an unprecedented ban on the herbicide.

David Hundley, who manages grain production for Ozark Mountain Poultry in the town of Bay, said:

“It’s fracturing the agricultural community. You either have to choose to be on the side of using the product, or on the side of being damaged by the product.”

Monsanto created dicamba-resistant soy beans and cotton plants several years ago, but the chemical itself wasn’t a practical option for farmers prior to that.

Dicamba killed the weeds threatening the crops, all while leaving the soybeans unharmed, and farmers thought they’d finally found the answer to a devastating weed called pigweed (Palmer amaranth). Out of desperation to beat back the weeds, some farmers started spraying dicamba illegally, before it was approved for use.

But dicamba drifts easily in the wind, and it can land on and damage other crops. Non-GMO soybeans are especially susceptible to it. The herbicide can also damage fruit and vegetable farms, and ornamental trees. Dicamba was great news for farmers of GMO crops, but a nightmare for farmers that plant non-GMO seeds. [1] [2]

Read: Study: Dicamba Herbicide Chemicals DO Harm Non-Targeted Plants and Insects

Bob Scott, a specialist on weeds with the University of Arkansas’ agricultural extension service, said:

“Nobody was quite prepared, despite extensive training, for just how sensitive beans were to dicamba.” [1]

Earlier in 2017, a group of farmers filed a class-action lawsuit against the makers of dicamba – Monsanto and German chemical company BASF – over damage to their crops. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for damage to crops, fruits and trees that weren’t dicamba-resistant.

BASF is the only company that makes dicamba approved for use in the United States. [2]

Farmers in Arkansas began registering their displeasure as soon as Spring rolled in. By June 23, some 242 complaints had been sent to state regulators regarding dicamba-damaged crops. [1]

The problem is clearly worsening; in 2016, the state received just over 2 dozen complaints about dicamba-related crop damage. [2]

Plant board member Terry Fuller after the vote:

“We don’t have an emergency. We have a disaster. It’s damage everywhere you look.”

Also in 2016, Missouri’s largest peach grower sued Monsanto alleging that the company was responsible for illegal herbicide use that the group claimed had caused widespread crop damage in the southeast part of Missouri and neighboring states. Other states eventually joined the suit, including Illinois.

Said Scott:

“This has far eclipsed any previous number of complaints that we’ve gotten, and unfortunately, this number seems to just keep growing. Every day we get an update with 8 or 10 more complaints.” [1]

Hundley said that “any soybean that’s not [resistant to dicamba] is exhibiting damage. I can name 15 farmers within 3 or 4 miles who have damage, and I can only name 3-4 farmers who have used the technology.”

So the Arkansas Plant Board gathered on June 20, 2017, to mull over an emergency ban on further spraying of dicamba, and farmers crowded the meeting to make an impassioned plea for their side.

A bit of procedural confusion at the initial meeting prevented the board from holding a vote that day. The meeting reconvened on June 23, however, and voted, 9-5, to ban any spraying of dicamba on any crops except for pasture land for 120 days.

Sources:

[1] NPR

[2] U.S. News & World Report

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

How to Pick a Sunscreen That’s Safe for Coral Reefs and Aquatic Life

Hopefully, before you head to the beach, you’ve already looked for some safe sunscreens for your body. But if you’re not reading labels, and if you don’t understand what the ingredients on those labels are, studies show the product you’re lathering on your skin could actually pose a grave threat to the ocean environment. These sunscreens are especially not safe for coral reefs.

The world’s most popular reefs are at risk because of a common chemical found in all types of sunscreen: Oxybenzone. [1]

Oxybenzon – Why Sunscreen is NOT Safe for Coral Reefs, Aquatic Life

According to a study published in 2015, oxybenzone poisons coral by contributing to bleaching, has a similar effect on DNA to gasoline, and causes young corals to become fatally deformed because the chemical disrupts reproduction and growth.

Craig Downs, one of the study’s authors, explained:

“It causes weird deformities in soft tissue and also causes the coral larvae to encase itself in its own skeleton, in its own coffin.”

A dose of oxybenzone the size of a drop in 6.5 Olympic swimming pools is enough to damage coral reefs.

Downs said:

“Oxybenzone can cause an adverse effect in coral at 62 parts per trillion, that is equivalent to one drop of water in six and a half Olympic size swimming pools, so you don’t need a lot to cause a lot of damage.” [2]

In fact, scientists have discovered that many beaches popular with tourists have dead and sterile reefs, compared to beaches with little human traffic, which are healthy. [1]

It is believed that up to 14,000 tons of sunscreen is deposited on coral reefs each year. [2]

Hawaii is contemplating banning oxybenzone-containing sunscreens on the islands for this reason. Sunscreen isn’t safe for coral reefs!

Other sea life is imperiled by oxybenzone, as well. Downs’ team found the chemical has toxic effects on fish larvae and embryos. [1]

How to Ensure You’re Buying Sunscreen Safe for Coral Reefs

Some sunscreen manufacturers have started producing and marketing sunscreens as “reef friendly,” but there’s no way to know for sure what you’re getting. Scientists warn that, like the “natural” and “healthy” labels on food, there is little to no regulation over such claims.

Read: Eco Artists Build Interactive Dive Site That Doubles as Artificial Coral Reef

So here are a few tips for picking a sunscreen that is, indeed, reef-friendly.

Read Labels

Look for sunscreens containing the “Protect Land + Sea” Certification Seal. This means the product has been laboratory-tested using analytical-forensic techniques to verify that it is free of the following chemicals:

• Any form of microplastic sphere or beads.


• Any nanoparticles like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.


• Oxybenzone


• Octinoxate


• 4-methylbenzylidene camphor


• Octocrylene


• Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)


• Methyl Paraben


• Ethyl Paraben


• Propyl Paraben


• Butyl Paraben


• Benzyl Paraben


• Triclosan [3]

While sunscreens containing ONLY zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are considered reef-friendly, when these ingredients are uncoated and nano-size (less than 35 nanometers in diameter), they can enter the cells of invertebrates and cause oxidative stress in sunlight. Downs explains that “This blows up the cells so they die.” [4] [5]

Buy Sunscreens with the Simplest Formulas

According to Downs, even oils added to sunscreens, such as eucalyptus and lavender, can harm invertebrates. Industrial insecticides can contaminate beeswax, that, when emulsified in beauty products, can release these chemicals on your skin and in the water. This is why it’s so important to buy organic sunscreen.

Don’t Buy Aerosols

Aerosol sunscreens are worse for reefs than other types because it travels and leaves residue in the sand. Waves wash the sand and the residual ocean spray into the oceans. [2]

When researchers sprayed a small piece of coral from Trunk Bay in the U.S. Virgin Islands with one of the top aerosol brands, the coral lost all its algae, and turned white and bleached within 96 hours.

John Burns, PhD and coral biologist, who has worked on coral health and disease for nearly a decade, said:

“They actually have a basic immune system that is a lot like humans, they react when they are being stressed out. When they’re white, their stressed, it’s a lot like us, when we’re sick, we’re pale and we’re not as healthy, and that’s what’s happening to the coral.”

Now that we know that most sunscreens aren’t safe for coral reefs or ourselves, let’s make it a goal to explore other, safer options for protection this summer.

Sources:

[1] The Guardian

[2] BigIslandNow.com

[3] Haereticus Environmental Laboratory

[4] The Inertia

[5] Vogue

National Park Service

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Concerning Study Shows Glyphosate Herbicide Harms Unborn Children

At a children’s health conference earlier this month, the results of a study were presented which show that glyphosate, the main component in the Monsanto herbicide, RoundUp, is detected in pregnant women and could lead to adverse outcomes, including shorter gestation times and lower birth weights.

The news comes just weeks after the USDA scrapped plans to start testing food for glyphosate.

For the study, researchers tested and tracked 69 pregnant women and found that the presence of glyphosate levels in the women’s bodily fluids correlated with unfavorable birth outcomes.

The study, which is still in the preliminary stages, is a project of the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN), which is studying the effects of the chemical on reproductive and children’s health amid rising herbicide use in the Midwest.

Paul Winchester, M.D., member of the research team involved with this study, medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Franciscan St. Francis Health system and professor of clinical pediatrics at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, said glyphosate exposure in pregnant women is a “huge issue,” adding:

“Everyone should be concerned about this.”

Concerning Findings of the Study

Preliminary work found glyphosate in the urine of 91% – 63 out of 69 – women receiving prenatal care through an Indiana obstetric practice. The data, collected over 2 years, from 2015-2016, revealed that women with high levels of glyphosate in their bodies had significantly shorter pregnancies, and gave birth to babies with lower adjusted birth weights.

Source: The Huffington Post

Source: The Huffington Post

Both premature delivery and low birth weight are considered risk factors for numerous health and/or neurodevelopmental problems throughout a person’s life.

Read: Study Finds Glyphosate, Other Toxins in 100% of Pregnant Women and Fetuses

The researchers found that women living in rural areas had higher mean glyphosate levels than women living in urban and suburban regions. This suggests that proximity to corn and soybean fields that are heavily treated with glyphosate is a route of exposure for these women.

Corn and soybeans have been genetically modified to withstand glyphosate spraying. The weed killer is also used on wheat, oats, and other non-genetically modified crops shortly before harvest, leaving behind residues in grain-based foods.

Glyphosate use has risen sharply over the past 20 years. In 2016, a landmark reported listed the chemical as the most widely used herbicide in history.

Winchester says he was surprised to see such a high percentage of pregnant women with detectable glyphosate in their urine. He also says much more research on the weed killer is needed, and more data is needed on levels of exposure through food.

He and other researchers are calling on the CDC to start biomonitoring glyphosate and its main metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). The agency currently tracks levels of other pesticides and chemicals in urine and blood.

Winchester says:

“Is this level of exposure safe or not? We’ve been told it is, but exposures haven’t been measured. It’s mind-boggling.”

Sources:

[1] Beyond Pesticides

[2] The Huffington Post

Graphs Source:

The Huffington Post

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Mass Die Offs Continue As “Raining Dead Birds” Descend on New Jersey, Unexplained

This article was written by Melissa Dykes and originally published at The Daily Sheeple.

Editor’s Comment: Unexplained animal deaths by the hundreds or thousands, every species effected. Sometimes, there is a connection to human experimentation and meddling, sometimes there is no apparent connection at all. Shifting climate and an emerging techno-grid are creating a different environment for many important species on this planet. Electromagnetic activity alone may explain part of the reason that bees and birds of flight have been affected, along with weather patterns.

Hundreds of thousands of fish and other sea life have simply washed up dead on coastlines around the world, and may be connected to reported extinction level events taking place in the oceans. Few are willing to connect the dots, but a pattern is emerging.

What is most telling is how little explanation is offered through official channels. No one is stepping up, suggesting a willing blackout on this topic of continued significance and intrigue. If whatever is taking place in these cases affects the wildlife like this, what is it doing to people?

Why Is It Raining Dead Birds in New Jersey?

by Melissa Dykes

There’s a good question for you.

It’s being reported that just days before Thanksgiving in Stow Creek Township, New Jersey, 200 dead red-winged blackbirds began “raining” from the sky.

And it isn’t the first time in recent weeks this has happened in that area, either.

Infectious disease has been ruled out, and despite testing nearby wheat fields for chemical compounds that may have contributed, pesticide poisoning has supposedly been ruled out as well.

Scientists are stumped (via Philly.com):

“We did ascertain that the birds suffered trauma and internal bleeding from hitting the ground,” [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry] Hajna said. “But what made them fall from the sky in the first place . . . we can’t say for certain.”

So…

What do you think is causing this?

Curious isn’t it? How these “mysteries” are always reported on, but they hardly ever up finding the cause…

Related Reads

Rise in Mass Die-Offs Seen Among Birds, Fish and Marine Invertebrates

Another Mass Animal Die-Off: What Killed 60,000 Antelope in Four Days?

Moose die-Off Is Massive, and a Mystery to Scientists

Hundreds in Vietnam Protest Mysterious Mass Fish Die-Off

Massive Bumblebee Die-Off Prompts Temporary Pesticide Ban in Oregon

This article was written by Melissa Dykes and originally published at The Daily Sheeple.

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