“Severe hunger has doubled, and famine has been declared in two places. The same countries are caught in a devastating cycle of hunger — fueled by conflict and compounded by inadequate funding,” says food aid chief Cindy McCain. Apr 24 2 mins read Source link
The House of Representatives on Thursday stripped a set of controversial provisions aimed at protecting pesticide manufacturers from the farm bill, following a Make America Healthy Again uprising that could have sunk the broader package. The amendment led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla, to strip the language was passed by a vote of 280-142, after a bipartisan groundswell of opposition from lawmakers and MAHA advocates who said the provisions amounted to a “liability shield” to protect Bayer from allegations that its Roundup herbicide and its chemical glyphosate cause cancer. The broader farm bill cleared the House Thursday morning by a vote of 224-200. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, who was helping lead the push to strip the pesticide language for Democrats, said the language represented a “handout to big agriculture, to big chemical.” “It preempts states’ rights to regulate pesticide usage or labeling [and] provides a liability shield for pesticide manufacturers,” Pingree said on the House floor. “Put simply, this language puts chemical company profits over the health of Americans.” A sign protesting Chairman Glenn …
Republicans are using the farm bill to take another swing at passing legislation to protect pesticides, something sure to anger their allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. A House Republican iteration of the farm bill released on Friday includes a provision that prevents states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers for failing to… Source link
A common agricultural pesticide known as chlorpyrifos may play a substantial role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. New research from the University of California, Los Angeles, combines decades of human data with animal models to demonstrate how this specific chemical damages brain cells. The study indicates that the pesticide disrupts the brain’s cellular cleaning system, leading to the accumulation of toxic proteins. These findings were published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder defined by the progressive death of neurons that produce dopamine. These cells are essential for controlling physical movement. When they die, patients experience tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with balance. While genetic mutations account for a small percentage of cases, the vast majority arise from unknown causes. Scientists suspect that environmental factors are the primary drivers for most patients. Pesticides as a general class have been linked to the disease for years, yet pinning down which specific agents are responsible has been a challenge for researchers. Identifying individual chemicals is necessary to prove causation and to understand the …
California’s testing requirements for cannabis products contain major gaps. To understand what’s being missed and what consumers are exposed to, the Los Angeles Times bought more than 150 products from licensed stores, as well as from tobacco shops and illicit vendors, and had them tested at three state-licensed labs, Anresco Laboratories, SC Labs and Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs. Those tests were conducted without the labs knowing what brand they tested. Where available, the tests included expanded screening for more than 290 pesticides and checks for other hazardous materials, such as vitamin E acetate or synthetic cannabinoids. The Times also obtained data from private market tests conducted on behalf of vape manufacturer Raw Garden and the March and Ash dispensary chain as well as participating labs. Lab test results Private lab tests show frequent pesticide contamination in cannabis, as well as the presence of synthetic THC and harmful dilution oils ●. Most products listed are vapes bought on the legal market. Pre-rolls, edibles and products bought outside legal venues are noted. Findings are based on California …
