Another study finds link between atrazine and birth defects

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 05:18:29 AM PST

Living near farms that use the weed killer atrazine may up the risk of a rare birth defect, according to a study presented this past Friday [February 5] at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Chicago.

About 1 in 5000 babies born in the U.S. each year suffers from gastroschisis, in which part of the intestines bulges through a separation in the belly, according to the March of Dimes. The rate of gastroschisis has risen 2- to 4-fold over the last three decades, according to Dr. Sarah Waller, of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues. [...]

The researchers looked at more than 4,400 birth certificates from 1987-2006 - including more than 800 cases of gastroschisis -- and U.S. Geological Survey databases of agricultural spraying between 2001 and 2006.

Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards to define high chemical exposure levels in surface water, they found that the closer a mother lived to a site of high surface water contamination by atrazine, the more likely she was to deliver an infant with gastroschisis.

The birth defect occurred more often among infants who lived less than 25 km (about 15 miles) from one of these sites, and it occurred more often among babies conceived between March and May, when agricultural spraying is common.

Follow me after the jump for more.

Great News for Chesapeake Bay!

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Sep 21, 2009 at 16:33:52 PM PDT

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition:

The draft reports are the first step, with preliminary recommendations.  The Federal Leadership Committee will use the reports to prepare a draft coordinated strategy which will be released, with final versions of the reports, for public comment in November.  The Administration intends to finalize the strategy in May 2010 but has indicated that some agencies can go forward with actions before the strategy is final.

For more information about the plight of Chesapeake Bay, I highly highly recommend reading the Oysters chapter of the book Bottomfeeder.

Will Congress force EPA to approve higher ethanol blends?

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Sep 21, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) are reportedly considering (sub. req'd) offering amendments to [a major appropriations bill to] force the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the blend level [for ethanol in gasoline] above the current 10 percent maximum as an amendment to the EPA appropriation bill. The corn-state senators would like to see blend limits raised to 15 percent, and E&E reports that it looks likely that the potential amendments would block funding for the EPA if they don't move forward on raising the blend limit. [...]

But the EPA faces opposition to increasing ethanol levels in gasoline from environmentalists, livestock producers, refiners, and other groups. Concerns have been raised about whether most engines can handle higher blends, and recent studies indicate that the use of ethanol may increase global warming. The general impression among opponents of the higher blend is that it doesn't really benefit anyone other than the corn lobby.

I hope Congress will let the EPA make this determination based on all the relevant factors. I understand that senators like to protect major industries in their home states, but increasing the ethanol blend limit isn't even universally good for farmers. As Sheppard indicates, conventional livestock producers could end up paying higher prices for feed.

What? Fox Meet Henhouse

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 18:56:19 PM PDT

CLA board chairman nominates Jay Vroom to EPA advisory group

Jan 3, 2008

CropLife America Chairman Eric Wintemute has nominated CLA president and CEO Jay Vroom to the new ag advisory committee being formed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Nominations are currently being accepted by EPA for its Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee, according to Wintemute, who was acting on behalf of the CropLife board of directors.

"Jay Vroom is eminently qualified to contribute to the function and purpose of this Committee both from the perspective of his leadership of the plant science industry, but also Vroom's broader agriculture experience," he said.

The letter of nomination details Vroom's life-long association with agriculture from his being raised on the family farm in Illinois to the many agriculture issues he has championed on behalf of CropLife America and the global crop science network of CropLife International.

In his nearly 20-year service as CEO of CropLife, Mr. Vroom has served on the EPA's Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee and numerous advisory committees established to support the Food Quality Protection Act.

His family farm was one of the first participants in the soil conservation programs established by the U. S. government in the last century, and Vroom has seen to the continuation of these farming practices today as the principal owner of that Illinois farm land.

That was just the nomination. So did the President of the biotech/pesticide industry group get appointed to the EPA board? Yup.

Sampler Platter 05.26.09

by: Jill Richardson

Tue May 26, 2009 at 22:27:32 PM PDT

• The EPA said no to California's aerial spraying of 2 pesticides to combat the light brown apple moth. It's good news but not good enough... CA will probably find something else nasty to spray.

• Our calls on the Obama admin to put somebody who isn't an industry shill (and not named Michael Doyle) in charge of food safety at USDA are being heard. Good.

• Check out this new food and climate report from the Post Carbon Institute (PDF).

• Talk about making a win-win! A program by the Wholesome Wave Foundation allows food stamp recipients to get $2 of food for every $1 in food stamps they spend at farmers markets. Farmers win & so do eaters. Yay!

• You know, being out of work as I am, I'm not one to suggest that the recession is good for us. But check out this headline that the recession means more money spent on gardens and less on cigarettes and alcohol. So I guess the next time I look at my bank balance and cry, I should tell myself that it's not all bad.

• Dave Murphy gives us his $.02 on the new movie Food Inc. We're still in countdown mode until this film is in theatres. The date to mark on your calendar is June 12.

• Normally I'm no biofuels fan, but Tom Laskawy gives us an interesting idea: what if narcotics producers switched over to making biofuels instead? It's hard to argue against that.

• Here's another good one from Laskawy - his comments on Obama USDA nominee Rajiv Shah. Laskawy's a lot nicer about this than I am. He doesn't use any four-letter words.

• Oops. Los Angeles schools were found violating anti-junk food rules.

• Fooducate tells us about recession shopping trends. Like reducing impulse buys, cooking at home instead of eating out, and switching from sit-down restaurants to fast food ones or from grocery stores to superstores.

• However bad your food is, just be glad you're not Russian. I'm not dissing vodka and borscht - according to this article, Russians too poor to buy regular food are instead opting for spoiled food.

Monday Morning Water Cooler

by: JayinPortland

Mon May 18, 2009 at 04:44:46 AM PDT

• India can coordinate a nationwide election for over 700 million eligible voters, yet "the world's largest democracy" doesn't seem to be too concerned with the fact that it still can't ensure access to clean water for its rural poor -

  That incredible coordination doesn't translate to the treatment of water. India still lacks sanitation facilities for about 700 million people. On top of that, 200 million don't have access to drinking water. Those that do have no guarantee it is actually safe.

• Great piece from my old hometown paper, The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger, on the federal crackdown on oceangoing cargo and cruise ships that use our oceans (because they do belong to all of us...) as their illegal waste dumping grounds.

• The Center for Biological Diversity has filed suit against US EPA under the Clean Water Act for failing to recognize the impacts of ocean acidification.

• A "voluntary" (uh-oh...) plan has been struck amongst six Asia-Pacific nations to protect the threatened Coral Triangle.

• The more things 'change', the more they stay the same.  EPA has just signed off on 42 of 48 new "mountaintop removal" mining permits.  Appalachian Voices provides us a tour of just one such site in West Virginia.

EPA Bans Use Of Carbofuran On Food Crops

by: JayinPortland

Mon May 11, 2009 at 22:00:12 PM PDT

FMC Corp. officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The company said on its Web site that Furadan "remains a useful product, vital to the sustainability of agriculture" and that its proper use "does not create a risk to human health, wildlife or the environment."

It's always great to see corporations attempt to pass of their deadly chemicals as a "sustainable solution", isn't it?  While they're at it, maybe FMC Corporation can explain why a google search for 'FMC EPA investigation' brings up 18,500 hits, or why I spent a large percentage of my working life in environmental remediation back in New Jersey at their West Windsor chemical plant?

More below the fold...

Sampler Platter 05.07.09

by: Jill Richardson

Thu May 07, 2009 at 14:00:00 PM PDT

• A friend of mine has just launched a new project, OrganicNation.tv. She'll be traveling the U.S. and documenting sustainable food and agriculture and you'll be able to see her footage on the site. (For full disclosure, I'm one of the project's advisors.)

• Organic sales grew by 17.1% in 2008, according to a new report by the Organic Trade Association.

See below for more...

Obama Administration Takes 1 Step Forward (Organics) and 2 Steps Back (Ethanol)

by: Jill Richardson

Wed May 06, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

The two steps back came with the announcement of a major government push for ethanol. Step one is the creation of a new Biofuels Interagency Working Group that includes the cabinet secretaries for Energy, EPA, and USDA. Step two is the potential increase in the amount of ethanol allowed in our fuel - the "blend wall." It is currently set at 10% and may go to 15%.  

Tell the Senate: Don't Exempt Big Ag from Clean Air Rules

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Apr 21, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PDT

Sen. Johanns (R-NE) (the former USDA secretary under Bush) is sponsoring a bill to exempt ag from the new EPA decision. That's bad. The Senate needs to hear from us LOUD AND CLEAR. One-third of greenhouse gas emissions come from ag. About 18% comes from meat production. WE DON'T WANT AG EXEMPTED. What's the point of a regulation if you exempt some of the worst offenders? The Senate must oppose Johanns' bill.

When the EPA announced Friday it had determined that greenhouse gases may endanger public health or welfare, a collective shiver went down the back of animal agriculture. The ruling now faces a 60-day public comment period. If its decision is upheld, the EPA must then act to regulate emissions. If the EPA's definition of greenhouse gases includes methane emitted by livestock, animal ag operations could be affected. - Meatingplace

EPA Drops Bad News Bombshell, Hopes Nobody Notices

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Apr 18, 2009 at 10:00:00 AM PDT

The Environmental Protection Agency said it would order the manufacturers of 67 pesticides to test whether their products disrupt the hormonal system of humans or animals. Congress passed a bill mandating such tests in 1996, but the agency took years to develop them and ensure their validity, officials said. The agency said that the 67 pesticides were chosen because humans and animals are widely exposed to them, not because they are necessarily the most likely disruptors of endocrinal functions. About 1,000 substances will eventually be tested, said James J. Jones, acting assistant administrator for prevention, pesticides and toxic substances. The results are due back from manufacturers around the end of next year.

Really? This stuff's never been tested? Yet we've been using it anyway? Let me tell you a little secret. The pesticide industry was born out of the chemical weapons industry. They used to test war gases on bugs to see if they would be effective on humans. After WWI, when the U.S. wanted to get rid of its Chemical Warfare Service, those who researched war gasses advertised "peaceful" uses of gas as a means of keeping themselves employed. One such peaceful use was making pesticides. In other words, if a chemical is deadly to bugs, there's a REALLY GOOD CHANCE it's not good for people. And we didn't even TEST to see if perhaps that was the case???

And now we are testing, but we're letting the manufacturers do it? I don't mind making them pay for it, but - would I be crazy to suggest that perhaps they might not be very independent and that the results might be skewed in their favors?

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Apr 18, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

• Bill & Nicolette Hahn Niman argue that pasture raised meat should be seasonal. Okay. I agree. But they don't tell you which season.

• The outrage spawned by the hit piece on free range pork in the NYT has become a back and forth. The author James McWilliams answered his critics (which includes this blog) in The Atlantic. Paula Crossfield on Civil Eats says, "McWilliams didn't start a conversation, but instead just threw a rotten tomato."

• This title says it all: 30 Unexpected and Unusual Things You Can Compost." Like condoms. Who knew?

• Alternet says that choosing between factory farmed red meat and chicken is like choosing between an SUV and a Hummer. Agreed.

• Hallelujah! Tom Laskawy says schools don't need vending machines, they just need money. Yes!!!!

• Natasha Chart talks about biochar. And about the fact that the ag industry wants credit for sequestering carbon without being charged for their emissions. Yeah, and I want a pony.

• Civil Eats suggests getting a farmer tan during your spring break.

• The EPA finally decided that global warming is a problem. I'll put that in my "duh" pile along with the news that the sky is blue and chocolate is tasty.

• More proof that we humans can be easily manipulated. When there's a salad on the menu, you're more likely to order fries.

• Brilliant point made by Mark Bittman:

  You can't trust the supermarket companies to sell you only good, wholesome food. Yet they'll try to convince you that everything they sell is exactly that. So: skip the labels, watch what you buy, and strive for goodness, no matter where you find it.

• Yay! Wolves are thriving in Oregon! I'm such a huge fan of having top predators in the food chain - sooo much good comes from it, even if we humans don't appreciate it much when the wolves kill our livestock (as in the article). Can someone please send a few wolves to Illinois? They are freaking OVERRUN with deer.

• Toronto's considering mandatory green roofs. I hope they go for it.

Obama Justice Dept Overturns Toxic Bush Ruling, Sort Of

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Apr 12, 2009 at 10:00:00 AM PDT

The latest part of the saga happened last week. Obama's Justice Dept is going to let the 6th court of appeals' ruling stand. In other words: No change. Sort of. Because the EPA wants to let the Bush rule stand for 2 years. Nobody knows yet whether that will be allowed or not.  

Republicans to Iowa: Drown in Pig Poop

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 10, 2009 at 18:09:32 PM PDT

On Capitol Hill, a $1.7 million earmark for pig odor research in Iowa has become a big, fat joke among Republicans, a Grade A example of pork. But the people who live cheek by jowl with hog farms in the No. 1 pig-producing state aren't laughing.

They're gagging.

"You hold your breath and when it's really bad you get the taste in your mouth," said Carroll Harless, a 70-year-old retired corn-and-soybean farmer from Iowa Falls.

Hooray! Hooray! Less Pesticides Used!

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 21:41:45 PM PST

AD HOC efforts by an impressive array of federal and state agencies, farmer alliances, chemical companies, and nonprofit advocacy groups are dramatically shifting the way pesticides are made and used. As a result, pesticide use in the U.S. has dropped. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency show that conventional pesticide use, which includes agricultural and home and garden applications, peaked at 1.46 billion lb in 1979 and fell to 1.23 billion lb in 2001, the last year for which comprehensive data are available. Since then, pesticide use in the U.S. appears to have remained flat, according to limited government data and market research reports. [emphasis mine]