Environment

Testing shows that most foods and, consequently, people worldwide carry a mix of pesticide and chemical residues. Regulatory authorities then contend that any residue levels below the ADI or MRL are too low to pose health risks. This model assumes that the toxic effect declines in a steady, linear fashion with lower doses until the compound is no longer toxic. It is based on Paracelsus's maxim, the sixteenth-century physician and father of toxicology, who stated, “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.” This has been summarized as, “The dose makes the poison.”

Water is the hydration tool of choice during a summer heat wave, but the foods you eat also help. Eating fruit in hot weather gives you more fluid and dehydration-fighting electrolytes. You also get nutrition, including many vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

What happens when western billionaires try to ‘fix’ hunger in developing countries? Neelam Tailor investigates how philanthropic efforts by the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the organisation they set up to revolutionise African farming, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), may have made matters worse for the small-scale farmers who produce 70% of the continent's food. From seed laws that criminalise traditional practices to corporate partnerships with agribusiness giants such as Monsanto and Syngenta, we explore how a well-funded green revolution has led to rising debt, loss of biodiversity and deepening food insecurity across the continent.

On a hillside farm in San Lorenzo, in the mountains of Colombia’s southern Nariño department, Aura Alina Domínguez presses maize seeds into the damp soil. Around her, farmers Alberto Gómez, José Castillo and Javier Castillo arrive with their selected seeds, stored in shigras – hand-woven shoulder bags – as has been done for generations.

The post Ancient Maize v.

In the previous articles in this series, I showed that the official requirements set by regulatory authorities for specific testing of pesticide-induced diseases in children are nearly non-existent. The developing fetus, young children, and adolescents going through puberty are three critical stages in human development that are completely overlooked in the guidelines for diseases, endocrine disruption, and cancer.

In this long-term study, published on Tuesday, glyphosate alone and two commercial glyphosate- based formulations, Roundup BioFlow (MON 52276) used in the EU and Ranger Pro (EPA 524-517) used in the U.S., were administered to rats via drinking water beginning in prenatal life, at doses of 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/kg body weight/day for 2 years. These doses are currently considered safe by regulatory agencies and correspond to the EU Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and the EU’s No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for glyphosate.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a global epidemic of noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs), which include heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. You cannot contract these diseases from others. The primary causes are environmental factors and lifestyle choices. This means we can prevent them by altering our habits, food choices, and farming practices; reducing industrial pollution; and avoiding environmental exposures and lifestyle factors that contribute to them. Pesticides and chemicals are strongly implicated in this global epidemic; however, researchers and health professionals largely overlook the extent of their role.