The chemicals used to grow our food and maintain our parks and playgrounds are putting our health at risk.
The food we buy should be safe to eat, and our parks and playgrounds shouldn’t be filled with chemicals that put our health at risk, especially when those risks include cancer and developmental disorders. Choosing to buy organic, gardening without pesticides, and avoiding chemical fertilizers are all important, but only collective action will stop the use of these dangerous chemicals.
Roundup's main ingredient is a probable human carcinogen, yet it continues to be the most widely used herbicide in the world. The EPA must ban it, unless and until independent research proves it safe.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday the release of permanent rules regulating the use of dicamba, a volatile, toxic pesticide, on soybeans grown in the state. The new rules, first implemented last year and now made permanent, prohibit the application of dicamba on soybeans above certain temperatures and wind speeds, factors that can contribute to greater drift incidents. After implementing similar rules last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found no reduction in dicamba drift complaints.
In an effort to protect communities from PFAS contamination, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that the presence of PFAS contamination in pesticides could be a violation of a federal toxic chemical law, known as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The EPA has signaled the presence of so-called “forever chemicals'' in pesticides could stem from the fluorinated containers used for storage and transportation.
The toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos is still allowed to be sprayed on golf courses, even though the EPA has banned the chemical from our food.
Rep. Blumenauer (OR) unveiled a new blueprint for the federal Farm Bill today. His bill, the Food & Farm Act, cuts wasteful agriculture subsidies that steer farmers toward harmful and unhealthy farming practices. Additionally, it deepens U.S. investments in proven conservation programs that help farmers switch to sustainable farming practices.
Food & Agriculture, Advocate, PIRG
Vice President and Senior Director of State Offices, The Public Interest Network
