In comments to the U.S. EPA, Beyond Pesticides condemned the agency for failing to protect public health and the environment from sewage sludge (biosolids) fertilizer contaminated with toxicants including persistent “forever chemicals,” PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). While warning the public to protect itself from PFAS contaminants, EPA released what itself calls “non-binding or voluntary recommendations for how to mitigate risks.” The toxic biosolids fertilizer is used in food production, in gardens, and on playing fields. A public comment period is open through October 5,...

(Beyond Pesticides, September 29, 2026) Beyond Pesticides announced today the release of a nonpartisan Candidate Questionnaire, called Agrichemicals and the Future of Food and Farming in the United States (web-based version and PDF version), on pesticides and alternatives for those seeking Congressional office. The three-part questionnaire—for all federal candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in the November 2026 Midterm Election— asks those running to communicate their positions on key health and environmental issues that are under consideration in Congress:...

(Beyond Pesticides, September 28, 2026) Public comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on October 1, 2026! Action form available for submitting public comments on priority issues—click here. As the harm to public health and ecosystems associated with petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use continues to be documented in the scientific literature, a national action is calling for standards governing organic land management practices to be protected and strengthened. Specific allowed substances currently used and proposed for use in organic production will be reviewed at next month’s meeting of the...

Farmworkers face disproportionate risks of metabolic syndrome with chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides.

A first-of-its-kind study finds “structural damage to the midgut” of managed and wild bees exposed to atrazine at field-realistic concentrations.

In analyzing a wide body of science, researchers identify adverse male reproductive effects with pesticide exposure.

Researchers find higher mid-pregnancy glyphosate exposure was linked to a greater chance of preterm birth.

(Beyond Pesticides, September 21, 2026) Public comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on September 24, 2026. In response to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) public comment period on the active ingredient glyphosate used in weed killers, a national action is asking the agency to “consider all the science on glyphosate and other pesticides.” The agency is asking for public input on the independent science it proposes to consider in reviewing the safety of glyphosate, which has been classified by the World Health Organization as probably carcinogenic to humans and is linked to a range...

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📣 Comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on September 24, 2026! ➡️ Please copy the following suggested comment to EPA.

Prenatal neonicotinoid exposure, as determined by biomonitoring samples from their mothers, is linked to early puberty in girls.

Researchers identify the climate crisis and land management systems as playing critical roles in fostering healthy soil on a continental scale.

Pesticide residues impact not only soil health but the health of all organisms while research shows that organic mitigates these effects.

A literature review identifies some of the latest science published between 2020 and 2026, highlighting the nontarget impacts of pesticide contamination.

(Beyond Pesticides, September 14, 2026) Comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on October 1, 2026!  In advance of the semi-annual meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which governs the allowed materials in certified organic food products and advises the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on organic standards, a national action is focusing attention on cleansers, sanitizers, and disinfectants used in organic production, handling and processing, telling the NOSB to help organic kick the chlorine habit!  The Fall National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting is scheduled to meet...

A study demonstrates a connection between off-target pesticides and gestational diabetes in at-risk communities.

(Beyond Pesticides, September 8, 2026) Because the movement of pesticides off of farms and treated landscapes is a daily occurrence without adequate protection, a national action calls on Governors “t...

This Labor Day let us prioritize the health and dignity of workers as a social responsibility.

Across ten European countries, the health and makeup of soil microbiomes are threatened by pesticides.

In a study of 2,4-D in the U.S., researchers link exposure to greater thyroid cancer incidence in rural counties.

A study of gut microbiome alterations finds behavioral impacts on children associated with prenatal exposure to organophosphate chemicals.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 31, 2026) People from across the country focused on a small community in California this week with an action that tells Orange County, California leaders and its school district that there is national concern about a childhood cancer cluster in the community and urges the adoption of organic land management as a cost-effective and precautionary approach to protect children’s health. Beyond Pesticides wrote to its national network, “[C]hildren who are not protected from poisonous pesticides anywhere in the country affect the national culture on how we, as a matter...

Higher levels of pesticides and plasticizers are found in children with autism in an analysis of shed baby teeth.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 27, 2026) Pesticides contribute to an array of gynecological cancers (ovarian, endometrial, cervical, uterine, vaginal and vulvular, of which the first three are most common). A review by Iranian researchers examines studies of pesticide links to these diseases published between January 2000 and February 2025. The literature review encompasses human cohort, prospective and retrospective longitudinal, and cross-sectional methods, along with other results showing mechanistic evidence from experimental animal or in vitro studies. Thirty studies made the final cut....

Reports out of Ladera Ranch in California show at least six cases of a rare pediatric cancer, leading to a moratorium on pesticide use.

Research continues to mount in connecting pesticide exposure, particularly in farmworkers, to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 24, 2026) As the number of seed companies, which are also pesticide companies, consolidate through mergers, farmers face challenges associated with fewer seed choices, higher prices, less diversity, and proprietary genetically engineered organisms. To combat these problems, a nationwide action has been launched to tell members of the U.S. Congress to cosponsor the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act—H.R. 9681 and S. 5104. A contributor to the high cost of food, seeds as an input account for up to 25% of farmers’ operating budgets. Four companies, the “Big 4,” control 51%...

(Beyond Pesticides, August 21, 2026) National environmental and health groups last week sued Driscoll’s, the fresh berry company, for allegedly misleading consumers about its hazardous practices and claims that its production practices and materials are “in harmony with the environment.” The case, Beyond Pesticides, Organic Consumers Association, and Toxin Free USA v. Driscoll’s Inc., was filed in DC Superior Court (Case No. 2026-CAB-005727) on August 14, 2026. As consumers and increasing numbers of companies seek to proactively align with practices that protect health and the environment,...

The CA Department of Pesticide Regulation announced that all paraquat manufacturers will voluntarily phase out the use and sale of products by 2028.

Worldwide, exposure to pesticides increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 17, 2026) A nationwide action is calling on the U.S. Congress to keep pesticides and other toxic chemicals out of infant formula. An article, “Pesticide contamination in infant formula: A Systematic review,” in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology (2026) concludes, “[T]he contamination of infant formula does not concern a single class of substances, but manifests itself as a heterogeneous and simultaneous set of risks: pesticide residues, heavy metals, persistent environmental contaminants, mycotoxins and compounds released from packaging materials can...

📣 Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to support legislation eliminating pesticides and other toxic chemicals from infant formula. #TakeAction

A new bill would mandate the Health and Human Services to set "maximum permissible levels" for a broad array of contaminants potentially in infant formula.

📣 Help support the effort before the NH Pesticide Control Board against chemical companies for the potential harm of neonic-based pesticides! #TakeAction #NewHampshire #Neonics

A study detected 30 percent of the 50 target compounds across summer and winter seasons, with evidence of off-target exposure in surrounding plants.

Regulations in both Europe and the U.S. on TFA, a PFAS metabolite, fail to address the health risks documented by scientific literature.

Study finds that organic land management "enhances the activity of soil enzymes, particularly on sandy soils" that usually face water retention constraints.

The fight against the Republican Farm Bill is still on! While the focus of Democratic opposition to the bill seems principally to be on whether Republicans will accept a 2-year delay (they have proposed a 1-year delay) in draconian cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), there are other major bottom-line issues that have elicited rigorous opposition to the bill from farm, farmworker, public health, environmental, anti-hunger, and anti-poverty groups. The next battleground on these critical issues will take place on the Senate floor, sometime after the Senate returns...

📣 Thank Democratic Senators for holding firm against the harmful GOP Farm Bill, urge them to continue to highlight critical life-sustaining issues, vote no, and move the debate to the next Congress. Communicate concerns to Republican Senators. #TakeAction

📣 Tell your U.S. Senators to support amendments to the GOP Farm Bill either as a member of the Agriculture Committee or as an advocate with their colleagues on the committee. #TakeAction

Pesticide mixtures threaten health through multiple mechanisms of toxicity, which risk assessments fail to adequately address.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 4, 2026) LATE BREAKING—With the upcoming vote in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on August 6, Beyond Pesticides issued an action calling on Democratic U.S. Senators to reject the GOP Farm Bill, while pushing for amendments to highlight the destructive policies. The action also tells Republican Senators that the GOP Farm Bill is shameful in contributing to the health, biodiversity, and climate crises. The action says: “It is time to tell Democrats to stand up to Republicans who are advancing chemical company and Big Ag interests in the...

(Beyond Pesticides, August 3, 2026) A regulation proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with a comment period ending September 4, 2026, will allow sewage sludge, also called biodsolids, fertilizer use in agriculture and other land management to contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The rule, if adopted, establishes voluntary, nonbinding guidance that is titled “Reducing Risk from PFOA and PFOS in Biosolids.” The failure to propose enforceable standards or ban the use of PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge/biosolids is occurring despite the agency’s recognition...