When I was in graduate school, there was an ethics certification training at my university. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think it was specifically for science students. One scenario in the training covered a conflict of interest (COIs) — whether or not to disclose funding sources in an academic paper.
Pressure on Mexico to reverse its intended ban on glyphosate and phaseout of genetically engineered (GE) corn has been coming from its neighbor to the north… us.
A recent study done in a region of Italy where pesticides are widely used indicates (yet again) that some communities contend with an unfair burden of pesticide exposure where their children live, learn, and play.
With Brexit comes the potential for the United Kingdom (UK) to negotiate free trade agreements with individual countries. The U.S. and UK have gone through two rounds of negotiations, with the second round completed at the end of June. A major sticking point is around agriculture, including pesticide residues.
The so-called "transparency in science" rule, first proposed by former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in 2018, is basically intended to limit EPA's use of scientific studies.
For well over a decade, PAN has worked with partner groups in our key states to test the air for pesticide drift using a device called the Drift Catcher. We launched the latest round of drift-catching in California a little over a year ago, and we’re now reflecting on lessons learned and awaiting results.
A report released in May from a PAN International Swiss partner organization called Public Eye analyzed the sales of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) globally, with a focus on sales by the agrichemical corporation Syngenta. The findings? Syngenta (and other pesticide companies) are making a lot of money selling dangerous pesticides, and low to middle income countries (LMICs) are bearing the brunt of the hazards.
A recent report from UCLA researchers evaluated the role of California county agricultural commissioners (CACs) and their permitting practices for restricted use pesticides. CACs are supposed to evaluate safer alternatives and cumulative exposures of these pesticides, and their power lies in their ability to grant permits to applicators.
A new paper comparing the assessments of glyphosate’s carcinogenicity by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) analyzed the kinds of studies used by both agencies — and found some glaring differences. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Bayer’s (merged with Monsanto) widely used flagship herbicide Roundup.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used to release “Pesticide Industry Sales and Usage” reports every two years — but that was almost 20 years ago. Several months ago, after fielding a question from a colleague, I found the most recent iteration of this report, released at the end of 2017 and covering market estimates from 2008 to 2012.
