Following reports that a variety of products sold at California medical marijuana dispensaries may be contaminated with potentially dangerous pesticides, a number of pot shops in the state have begun to stop selling these items. [More]
pesticides
EPA Taken To Court For Ignoring Its Own Science In Deciding To Not Ban Pesticide
By 4.6.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
When Scott Pruitt recently took over as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, one of his first decisions was to deny a petition seeking a ban on a controversial pesticide — only months after scientists of the agency said it poses a significant health risk. Now the EPA is being taken to court for its decision to ignore its own recommendation. [More]
Lawsuits Claim “100% Natural” Label On Nature Valley Granola Bars Is Deceptive
By 8.25.16
What exactly constitutes a “100% natural” food is a matter of much debate, but four new lawsuits argue that granola shouldn’t claim to be 100% natural because if contain small amounts of a common pesticide.
[More]
Lawsuit Claims “All Natural” Insecticide Used On Organic Marijuana Is Anything But
By 7.19.16
We’ve come a long way from complaints that the weed you bought in the school parking lot was cut with oregano that fall on deaf ears (because really, you should know better): now that there’s a burgeoning legal marijuana industry in some states, consumer complaints and grievances can be aired in court. Like a lawsuit in Oregon that claims the makers of an “all natural” insecticide used on “organically grown” pot plants actually contains a chemical substance. [More]
Garden-Care Company Ortho Phasing Out Chemicals Linked To Declining Bee Population
By 4.12.16
Ortho, a major player in the garden-care industry and subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro, has tongues buzzing over the news that it will start to “transition away” from using chemicals in its pesticides that are believed to be harmful to honey bees. [More]
Maryland Passes Bill That Would Keep Pesticides Harmful To Bees Off Retail Shelves
By 4.8.16
Although some retailers have stopped selling pesticides that are thought to be harmful to bees, amid concerns over the declining population of honeymakers, Maryland will become the first state to have a legal measure barring the products. [More]
Terminix Fined $10M After Family Severely Injured By Illegal Pesticide In Luxury Condo
By 3.30.16
You might recall the story of the family from Delaware that became seriously ill after possibly coming into contact with an illegal pesticide at the luxury condo they were vacationing at in the Virgin Islands. Now Terminix is on the hook for $10 million in fines after workers sprayed toxic methyl bromide in the building. [More]
EPA May Finally Ban Toxic Pesticide For Food Use
By 10.30.15
A federal agency entrusted with protecting the health of Americans has finally gotten around to doing the job it’s paid to do by taxpayers. And once again, the only reason this agency is doing anything is because a court has ordered it to. [More]
Washington Pushes For Pesticide Transparency In Retail Marijuana
By 10.7.15
For decades, buying pot off the street sometimes meant you had to take the seller’s word about the quality and origin of their product. But with some states legalizing retail marijuana sales in the U.S., there’s an opportunity for consumer safeguards and increased transparency for pot purchasers. [More]
Lowe’s Will Stop Selling Pesticides Blamed For Honeybee Decline
By 4.10.15
Jumping on the anti-neonicotinoids bandwagon with Portland is home improvement retailer Lowe’s, which says it’ll stop peddling the pesticide many critics say is to blame for declining honeybee populations. [More]
Portland Bans Insecticide Blamed For Decline In Honey Bee Population
By 4.2.15
Out of concern for a depletion in the number of honey bees in recent years, the city of Portland, OR has approved a ban on the use of an insecticide that conservationists say is to blame for killing off the honeymakers, despite protests from some local farmers. [More]
EPA: Vacationing Family “Seriously Exposed” To Toxic Pesticide While Staying In Luxury Condo
By 3.24.15
When you’re staying in a fancy, luxurious vacation condominium at a Caribbean resort, there’s a certain expectation that your health won’t be seriously threatened. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says members of a Delaware family have become seriously ill after their $800-per-night condo at a resort in the U.S Virgin Islands was possibly fumigated using toxic pesticides normally found in industrial farming. [More]
5 Food Prep Tips For Reducing Pesticide Risks
By 3.20.15
When you buy a sack of potatoes with dirt still clinging to the spuds, you know they’ll need a wash before going into your dinner. But those completely clean-looking apples, peaches, and strawberries may carry a less-visible danger in the form of pesticide residues. [More]
Whole Foods Introduces Produce Ranking System Based On Suppliers’ Farming Tactics
By 10.15.14
How do the fruits and vegetables you buy stack up against other produce? Are those flowers really the best you can get? Whole Foods is trying to answer some of those questions for customers with its new “responsibly grown” labeling system that ranks produce and plants at its stores, based on how suppliers farm those products. [More]
Great, Now We Have To Worry About Black Widow Spiders Hiding In Grapes
By 12.2.13
And you thought you only had to worry about bananas infested with deadly spiders. Ha! Silly you, because now bunches of grapes are the new cool hangout spot for venomous critters, specifically Black Widow spiders. It’s the latest in extreme eating. [More]
Orkin Man Uses Sippy Cup To Sprinkle Poison, Leaves It Behind In House With Little Kids
By 9.20.10
An Orkin exterminator’s decision to use a child’s sippy cup as a pesticide dispenser has gotten him suspended from his job after he left it behind in a house with three young children. [More]
Want More Lead Or Pesticide In Your Body? Try Dietary Supplements
By 5.26.10
Lead has a deservedly bad reputation when it comes to human health and development, but because it’s classified as a heavy metal it will always be kind of awesome. Well, to me. Pesticide, not so much. If you dislike ingesting either type of toxin, you might be interested in a new study being released today by the Government Accountability Office that found trace amounts of “lead and other contaminants” in every sample of 40 health supplements tested. [More]
"Dirty Dozen" Cheat Sheet Reminds You Which Foods To Always Buy Organic
By 4.22.10
To help you remember the “Dirty Dozen” foods to always buy organic, Heidi Kenney has designed this fun free cheat sheet to keep in your moneypurse (organic farming doesn’t use synthetic pesticides). Flip it over and you’ve got the “Clean 15,” which had the lowest pesticide count.. One time I was eating lots of fruits and vegetables and I ate a not-organic pear and my lip swelled up like a monkey’s for a few days… maybe I should start using this list! [More]
