Tag: pesticides

GM crops fuel rise in pesticide use despite early promises, study shows

Spread of GM crops has not contributed to chemical reductions or land reclamations, but to increased use of the pesticides they were claimed to curtail. Report: Claire Robinson

GM crops have increased agriculture’s dependence on pesticides rather than reducing it, a study published in April 2025 found.

Drawing on data from four GM crops – Bt cotton, herbicide-tolerant (HT) soybean, HT and/or Bt maize, and HT canola, the researchers – including agricultural development expert Prof Glenn Davis Stone from Washington and Lee University and Bt cotton expert K. R. Kranthi of the International Cotton Advisory Committee – traced the surge in chemical use over three decades.

They found a paradox: while GM seeds were supposed to reduce pesticide use, their introduction caused pesticide use to soar. The researchers explain this outcome using the Jevons paradox, an economic theory that dates back to 1865. British economist William Stanley Jevons argued that efficiency in resource use often leads to more, not less, consumption. The study applies this idea to GM crops, which were claimed to reduce pesticide use, but in reality have made it skyrocket.

The researchers consider the two most prevalent GM seed-pesticide technology regimes: Bt crops and herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops. Both seeds are billed as efficient technologies: HT crops are claimed to facilitate more efficient weed control, and Bt crops are claimed to control insect pests more efficiently.

However, the researchers found that, “Like other technological efficiencies… the increased use of GM crops over the past 30 years has not contributed to input reductions nor to land reclamations, but to the expansion of agricultural land and increased use of the very pesticides these technologies are purported to curtail.”

This is due to the complexity of agricultural systems: “The efficiencies of GM crops not only lower the cost for individual farmers to use, in aggregate, more pesticides; they also make those pesticides ever more essential to the political economy of agriculture through the input-intensive monocultures in which they are embedded. In fact, increases in chemical usage occur throughout these GM crop systems because technological substitutions like GM seeds cannot be separated from their cascading impacts on labour, weed and pest ecology or agricultural decision-making.”

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Cannabis extract proves to be highly effective at killing the most dangerous animals in the world

Every year, mosquito-borne diseases cut short more than a million lives across the globe, outpacing every other animal threat to humanity. The rising toll has public-health teams scrambling for fresh combat tools, especially as traditional chemical sprays lose their edge.

That loss stems from two hard truths. First, the very pyrethroid insecticides that once worked wonders now linger in soil and water, nudging delicate ecosystems off balance.

Second, mosquitoes adapt fast. Larvae soaking in tainted puddles and adults drifting through treated neighborhoods increasingly shrug off doses that once killed them.

Controlling the pests at their waterborne stage is vital, yet options that stay potent without harming everything else remain limited.

Cannabis, CBD, and mosquitoes

Recent research published in the journal Insects points to a solution hiding in plain sight: the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa.

After air-drying and grinding ordinary hemp leaves, scientists at The Ohio State University led by Erick Martinez Rodriguez extracted cannabidiol (CBD) and added the concentrate to cups of water teeming with yellow fever mosquito larvae.

Within 48 hours, both a strain that laughs at common insecticides and a non-resistant strain were wiped out.

“Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world, mainly because as adults they serve as vectors of disease,” Rodriguez explained.

From resistance to vulnerability

Two important findings jumped out. The first was total mortality: every mosquito larva exposed to sufficient CBD died by the two-day mark, regardless of its genetic armor.

The second was efficiency. While industrial chemicals often push resistance higher with every generation, CBD’s effect cut straight through those defenses. Doses varied, but even modest concentrations proved lethal to all mosquito larvae.

“If you compare the amount of hemp extract needed to kill 50 % of the population to other synthetic conventional insecticides, it is on the high side, but when you compare it side by side to other natural extracts we have tested in our lab, only a relatively low amount is required to produce high mortality values in larvae,” said Martinez Rodriguez.

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California scientists sound alarm on role of pesticides in raising resistance to antifungal drugs

The proliferation of new fungicides in the U.S. agricultural sector may be raising resistance to critical antifungal medications in humans and animals, infectious disease experts are warning. 

Although antifungal pesticides have become vital to combatting the spread of crop disease, the ongoing development of new such fungicides may be leaving people more vulnerable to severe infections, according to new commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

“Antimicrobial resistant pathogens are a constant reminder for us to use agents judiciously,” lead author George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, said in a statement.

“We have learned that the widespread use of antibiotics for livestock resulted in the rapid development of resistance to antibacterials,” Thompson continued. “We have similar concerns regarding the use of antifungals in the environment.”

In the past few decades, fungi that cause severe infections in humans — such as the difficult-to-treat Candida auris — have undergone a rapid increase, the scientists noted.

Yet because there are relatively few antifungals available to eradicate such microbes from the body, Thompson stressed that “preventing resistance is of paramount importance.”

In the U.S. today, the researchers found that there are about 75,000 hospitalizations and 9 million outpatient visits linked to fungal diseases every year, with direct annual costs amount to $6.7 billion to $7.5 billion.

At the same time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that fungi cause between 10 percent to 20 percent of crop loss, at a cost of $100 billion to $200 billion annually, according to the report.

However, scientists have now become increasingly aware that antifungal pesticides and antifungal drugs share some of the same mechanisms. The authors therefore warned that the promulgation of these chemicals “may select for resistant fungi in the environment, which can then endanger human health.”

The development of antifungal medications, meanwhile, is a difficult task due to the metabolic similarities shared by human and fungal cells, as well as the surge in antifungal resistance, the authors explained.

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Georgia Governor Signs Bill Granting Immunity for Harms Caused by Pesticides and Fertilizers

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB144 into law, which has also been referred to as an immunity bill for agrochemical businesses that sell pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. The bill states, “a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.” The Georgia legislature passed the bill and was awaiting Kemp’s signature, which he finalized on Monday.

Georgia became the second state in the nation to provide manufacturer immunity for harm caused by pesticides after North Dakota signed a similar bill into law last month. Bayer has been handling tens of thousands of lawsuits related to cancer allegedly caused by Roundup, a product that Bayer owns after the agrochemical corporation purchased Monsanto in 2018. In April, The HighWire reported about Bayer’s recent court loss in which the company is required to pay over $2 billion for causing a man’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but the high payout amount is expected to be appealed. This case was conducted in a Georgia courtroom.

The EPA is still awaiting a court decision regarding its most recent evaluation of glyphosate’s effect on human health. The EPA currently states, “No risks of concern to human health from current uses of glyphosate.” The EPA website also states, “No evidence that glyphosate causes cancer in humans.”

Meanwhile, the passage of SB144 in Georgia means a farmer cannot sue Bayer for harms allegedly caused by Roundup because the product contains the label required by the EPA. The label states, “Keep Out of Reach of Children CAUTION See [back/ side] [panel/ booklet/ label] for [additional] first aid and precautionary statements. Alternative Text: [See container label for [complete] use directions, first aid and precautionary statements.]”

Bayer issued a statement applauding the Governor for signing the legislation. The statement said, “The signing of SB 144 by Governor Kemp demonstrates that Georgia stands with its farmers, who work tirelessly to produce safe and affordable food for communities throughout the state. We thank Governor Kemp and the legislators, farmers and ag groups that supported this important piece of legislation.”

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PR Firm Shuts Down Site That Profiled Pesticide Critics After Investigation Reveals USAID Funding

A pesticide industry public relations consultant that secretly profiled hundreds of food and environmental health journalists, scientists and advocates has shut down its profiling operation in response to public outcry, The Guardian reported Monday.

v-Fluence created profiles on more than 3,000 organizations and 500 people. The company coordinated with government officials to counter global resistance to pesticides and genetically modified (GM) crops, according to Lighthouse Reports, which conducted a year-long investigation into the firm.

Many profiles include personal details including the names of family members, phone numbers, home addresses and even house values.

v-Fluence published the profiles on a private social network called “Bonus Eventus,” named after a Roman god of agriculture. Bonus Eventus is a private stakeholder “wiki” accessible by about 1,000 members described as the “who’s-who of the agrochemical industry” and its allies, including the world’s largest pesticide companies, academics and government officials from several countries.

More than 30 current U.S. government officials are on the membership list, primarily from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates pesticides and organics.

The profiling was part of a broader effort to minimize pesticide dangers, discredit critics and undermine global policymaking on pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), according to documents obtained by Lighthouse Reports.

v-fluence is run by Monsanto’s former communications director, Jay Byrne, according to GMWatch, which also investigated the firm’s activities.

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‘Wide Body of Science’ Links Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals to Infertility in Women

In a Frontiers in Public Health review article, researchers report on the wide body of science connecting adverse effects to the female reproductive system, such as infertility, with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs.

The authors call these effects a significant concern for public health, as there has been growing evidence of EDCs with risk factors for decreased fertility.

Infertility “affects a substantial proportion of the world’s population with approximately one in six people affected,” the researchers note.

They continue:

“Over the last 70 years, global fertility has been constantly in decline due to behavioral and societal changes … emerging evidence has shown that infertility incidence is linked to exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including pesticides (chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT] and methoxychlor), phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, and bisphenols.”

In this review, over 100 studies are summarized to showcase the link between EDC exposure and reproductive effects in women, including infertility and related diseases such as endometriosis, premature ovarian insufficiency, or POI, and endocrine axis dysregulation.

The studies included investigating the “mechanisms by which EDCs cause ovarian aging, folliculogenesis, decrease of oocyte quality, ovulation disorders, development and receptivity of endometrium, endometriosis, fetal development abnormalities, and epigenetics modulation,” the authors state.

Results from these studies show exposure to EDCs can lead to infertility and reproductive effects through various mechanisms. Altering the balance of any endocrines that impact reproduction can change fertilization outcomes.

The researchers say, “One of the most described mechanisms is when EDCs mimic hormones such as estrogen and bind to their receptors leading to hormonal disruption.” This can alter the ovulation process.

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Pesticide banned in Europe, widely used in US, speeds up brain aging

Atrazine, a widely used herbicide banned in the European Union since 2004, has been found to accelerate brain cell aging and harm the hypothalamus, according to a new study in mice. Despite being prohibited in Europe due to groundwater contamination concerns, atrazine remains the second-most-used weedkiller globally, with over 70 million pounds applied annually in the US.

The study, published last month in Research, demonstrated significant neurotoxic effects. Researchers observed a decrease in nerve cell numbers and structural damage to neurons in the hypothalamus—a brain region critical for stress response, metabolism, and hormone regulation.

The study revealed that atrazine in mice:

  • Damages nerve cells (neurons) and activates microglia, immune cells in the brain that act as its “first responders” to injury, infection, or disease.
  • Sends certain brain stem cells (hypothalamic neural stem cells, or HtNSCs) to the areas of injury in the hypothalamus.
  • Overly activates the body’s stress response system (integrated stress response pathway), making these HtNSCs age prematurely (stop dividing and growing) and impairing their ability to maintain and repair the hypothalamus by multiplying and turning into other types of nerve cells.

These findings highlight how atrazine prematurely ages hypothalamic stem cells, impairing their ability to repair damage and raising concerns about links to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Growing evidence suggests that persistent exposure to pesticides such as atrazine may contribute to the prevalence of these age-related conditions.

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Study reveals shocking levels of cancer-linked pesticides in imported food – and the fruit that’s most affected

Analysts have raised the alarm about potentially harmful pesticides linked to cancer and infertility that are found in fruit like satsumas and oranges imported into Britain.

Campaign group Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) used Government testing data to show 46 pesticides with links to cancer had been detected on produce imports to Britain as of the end of last year.

This was more than double the 19 such pesticides found in British produce. 

Similar results were found for pesticides linked to fertility and damage to the nervous system, with twice and thrice as many such chemicals found on imports compared to British fare.

By food group, ‘soft citrus’ — which includes satsumas, tangerines and clementines — had the highest change of having a cocktail of multiple pesticides present, with 96 per cent of samples tested returning positive.

This was followed by oranges and lemons which had multiple pesticides detected in in 95 and 89 per cent of samples.

All three types of fruit contained as many as nine different pesticides — and all of these samples were imported from South Africa.  

For individual fruits, grapes from Lebanon that had the most pesticides of any item, with 13 substances detected on one sample analysed. 

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‘Unconscionable’: EPA to Only Partially Ban Pesticide Known to Harm Developing Babies

The long and winding regulatory road for a pesticide known to be harmful to developing babies took another turn on Monday as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was planning to only partially ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos in farming.

Under pressure from powerful agricultural industry interests and ordered by a federal court to consider the factors raised by the farming groups in a legal petition, the EPA said it would continue to allow chlorpyrifos to be used by farmers growing 11 crops, including apples, asparagus, citrus, peaches, strawberries, wheat, soybeans and others, despite evidence that the pesticide is associated with “neurodevelopmental effects” that can impair the normal development of children.

Other uses in farming would be banned, the agency said.

In the most recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pesticide Residue Monitoring Report, chlorpyrifos was the 11th most frequently found pesticide in human food samples out of 209 different pesticides detected by FDA testing.

“EPA continues to prioritize the health of children,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a statement.

“This proposed rule is a critical step forward as we work to reduce chlorpyrifos in or on food and to better protect people, including infants and children, from exposure to chemicals that are harmful to human health.”

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Study finds pesticide exposure leads to 41% higher risk of miscarriage

A recent study published in the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety has found that women exposed to pesticides face a 41 percent higher risk of spontaneous abortion compared to those with minimal or no exposure.

It found that exposure to organophosphate pesticides was the most common exposure type, though the study examined various pesticide classes. (Related: 70% of pregnant women in Indiana have herbicide linked to cancer in their urine.)

The comprehensive review, analyzing data from 18 studies across the United States and Italy, included 439,097 pregnant women aged 16 and older.

Though scientists and researchers are not completely certain as to why exposure to pesticides contributes to miscarriage, they believe that contact with pesticide chemicals causes oxidative stress, inflammation and even endocrine function disruption.

Scientists say pesticides are especially threatening to fetuses as their bodies are small, vulnerable and highly sensitive while developing in the womb. The harmful chemicals within pesticides are capable of crossing the placenta that connects the fetus to the mother’s uterine wall. It is during and after this chemical crossover period that the developing fetus is harmed. The harm involves differentiation, cellular division and developmental problems.

Environmental toxins can harm fetal health during pregnancy. Common sources include consumer product chemicals, alcohol, tobacco and heavy metals – all of which increase miscarriage risk.

Pesticides pose one of the most serious risks during pregnancy. Organic food researchers advise that pregnant women choose organic produce when possible, especially for foods known to have high pesticide residues.

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