THE SET-UP: We need food to live. We spray poison on our food. But poison does bad things to living things. To make sure the poison doesn’t do to humans what it does to insects, fungi and weeds, the US Congress tasked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with regulating the poison.
Not eliminating poison.
Regulating it.
So, the EPA establishes “tolerances”— and tolerances are “limits on pesticides left on foods” by the time those foods are purchased by consumers. Simply put, it’s the amount of poison the EPA believes we can safely tolerate in our systems. And it might be true that our systems can “tolerate” a little bit of poison. But if we get a little bit here, and little bit there, and a bit more from that … it can add up pretty quickly. That’s particularly true if its also in the water. Or if there are other chemicals in the water like PFAS that could produce a “cocktail effect” in the system. Think of it like a chemical Long Island Iced Tea. If you drink a jigger of vodka, you’ll be fine. Or a jigger of rum. Or any of the component parts of a Long Island Iced Tea … and the same goes for two jiggers of any one component. But if you drink two full cocktails? You’re gonna get a “cocktail effect” after the first drink.
That’s the problem with the food supply. The poisons are ubiquitous, and that makes it difficult to avoid mixing a chemical Long Island Iced Tea in your stomach. Perhaps if you can afford organic fruit and vegetables, but even that’s no guarantee. Organic produce can be exposed to pesticide or herbicide “drift” and be contaminated. Drift is another example of how hard it is to avoid poisons generally. We are awash in chemicals. And despite two-plus years of increasingly bad news about PFAS “forever chemicals,” Trump’s EPA pulled back on new regulations and almost no one cared.
The crowd at Turning Point USA’s latest confab went wild at the mention of Jeffrey Epstein. If only they could be motivated to care that much about the PFAS accumulating in their bodies or the glyphosate that Monsanto and the EPA assured us was completely safe … safe enough to be present in dozens of foods and sprayed around our homes.
Now Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion, is adding a new poison flagship glyphosate product—Roundup. Here’s a key graph from today’s third story:
Diquat is a close cousin of paraquat – a herbicide that is 28 times more toxic than glyphosate and that is banned in 70 countries. Glyphosate was initially introduced as a safer alternative to paraquat; however, both chemicals now face scrutiny for their potential health effects.
The irony of that circular logic epitomizes the thin line between inanity and insanity Bayer is walking, particularly since its paid-out between $10-11 billion to settle glyphosate-related lawsuits. Now they are adding the “close cousin” of paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson’s?!
To wit, here’s a snippet from a Brazilian study published this year by the National Library Of Medicine:
Diquat and paraquat are bipyridyl compounds structurally similar to each other and to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium, the active metabolite of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) - a neurotoxin that can cause Parkinsonism in humans and is largely used to model Parkinson disease 44 .
Now go to the Google machine and punch-in “paraquat lawsuits” … and you will see law firms lined up like planes at O’Hare. Something tells me those won’t be the last to take flight. Here’s hoping you don’t have to buy a ticket. - jp
EWG’s 2025 ‘Dirty Dozen’ List of Most Pesticide-Contaminated Produce Uses New Methodology
https://www.food-safety.com/articles/10515-ewgs-2025-dirty-dozen-list-of-most-pesticide-contaminated-produce-uses-new-methodology
EXCERPTS: To compile its Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists, EWG analyzes pesticide residue data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Pesticide Data Program (PDP); the most recent USDA PDP report covers samples collected and tested in 2023. The 2025 Dirty Dozen report includes PDP data from more than 53,000 non-organic samples of 47 fruits and vegetables. Since USDA samples a different variety of crops every year for its PDP program, EWG used the most recent PDP data that was available for each of the 47 produce types included in the Dirty Dozen report.
Additionally, for the first time, in its ranking methodology for the 2025 Dirty Dozen report, EWG also included pesticide toxicity information published by government agencies. To calculate the toxicity of pesticides on a crop, EWG added the pesticide-toxicity ratio values (i.e., the concentration of a pesticide detected to a value that quantifies the toxicity of that pesticide) into a total value that represents the overall toxicity of all pesticides on a crop.
EWG’s 2025 “Dirty Dozen,” or the 12 fruits and vegetables were most contaminated with pesticides, are:
Spinach
Strawberries
Kale, collard, and mustard greens
Grapes
Peaches
Cherries
Nectarines
Pears
Apples
Blackberries
Blueberries
Potatoes.
In total, 203 pesticides were detected on samples of the Dirty Dozen produce, with all crops (except cherries) contaminated by more than 50 pesticides each. Pesticides were found on 96 percent of Dirty Dozen samples, with every produce type averaging four or more pesticides per individual sample (except potatoes, averaging two per sample). The produce types with the highest level of pesticide toxicity were green beans, spinach, bell and hot peppers, and kale, collard, and mustard greens. Additionally, 93 percent of blackberry samples had detectable pesticides, with an average per sample of four pesticides.
EWG also called attention to the presence of chlorpropham on potatoes, a commodity that has PDP data available from as recently as 2023. The approval for chlorpropham was ended in the EU in 2019 due to health risks to consumers and agricultural workers.
Moreover, certain pesticides that have been banned in the U.S. due to health concerns continue to be detected on produce because of their persistence in the environment. For example, 2022 USDA PDP data for green beans revealed the presence of acephate, which was banned in 2011.
In contrast, EWG’s “Clean Fifteen” for 2025 are:
Pineapple
Sweet corn (fresh and frozen)
Avocados
Papaya
Onions
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Cabbage
Watermelon
Cauliflower
Bananas
Mangoes
Carrots
Mushrooms
Kiwi.
Nearly 60 percent of the Clean Fifteen produce samples had no detectable pesticide residues, and only 16 percent of crops had residues of two or more pesticides. No individual sample from any crop on the Clean Fifteen averaged more than three pesticides. Avocado, papaya, pineapples, onion, and sweet corn were among the fruit and vegetables with the lowest rankings, including overall toxicity. EWG also highlighted bananas for their low overall pesticide toxicity.
TITLE: Cancer risk doubles for Iowa, NC pesticide applicators who used carbaryl, study finds
https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/07/carbaryl-cancer-risk/
EXCERPTS: Pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa who sprayed the insecticide carbaryl often during their career have a higher risk of getting stomach, esophageal, tongue and prostate cancers, according to new research led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The research is the first to link the pesticide to stomach cancer, but it builds on many previous studies that have found carbaryl — often marketed under the brand Sevin — increases risk for multiple other cancers. The chemical is used to kill aphids and other insects on various farm crops, as well as insects such as ants, fleas and ticks in turf and home gardens.
The researchers used data from the US government-funded Agricultural Health Study about pesticide use by farmers and other licensed pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina. The data includes self-reported pesticide use from 1993 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2005.
Applicators who reported the most days spraying carbaryl and intense exposure were about twice as likely to develop stomach cancer compared to those who reported they never sprayed it. The highest exposure group also had a 52% higher incidence of esophageal cancer and 91% higher incidence of tongue cancer compared to those who reported they never sprayed carbaryl, the study found.
The highest exposure group had a 56% higher incidence of prostate cancer for exposures that were more than 30 years prior to the cancer being diagnosed.
Numerous studies have linked carbaryl to various types of cancer. And a 2021 regulatory safety data sheet for the chemical, made and sold for years by Bayer in the Sevin brand, warns that the product is “suspected of causing cancer.”
There are 61 registered pesticides on the market that contain carbaryl, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. While the insecticide is still widely used in the US, Europe banned all uses in 2007 over cancer concerns.
The researchers in the current study estimated that roughly 700,000 pounds of carbaryl are applied in the US each year on farm crops. Freeman said an estimated two million pounds are applied near buildings, and on turf, pastures and roadways annually.
It’s not just humans that could be at risk: the EPA is changing labels on carbaryl products after the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that it “was likely to jeopardize 78 listed species and adversely modify 14 critical habitats when used as currently registered.”
TITLE: World's Most Popular Weedkiller Has a Regrettable New Ingredient
https://www.sciencealert.com/worlds-most-popular-weedkiller-has-a-regrettable-new-ingredient
EXCERPTS: The producer of the world's most popular weedkiller – Roundup – is replacing a notorious ingredient with what could be a "regrettable substitution".
Diquat is a close cousin of paraquat – a herbicide that is 28 times more toxic than glyphosate and that is banned in 70 countries. Glyphosate was initially introduced as a safer alternative to paraquat; however, both chemicals now face scrutiny for their potential health effects.
Diquat has begun to rapidly take their place.
Like paraquat, diquat is well known to be toxic, which is why it must be handled with protective gear, but there is disagreement on precisely what levels of exposure are safe.
Even though diquat is less easily absorbed by the lungs, it can still damage the skin, and ingestion remains a serious risk.
The European Union banned diquat from 2018 because of the 'high risk' it poses to workers, bystanders, and residents.
Switzerland and the United Kingdom have also banned the chemical for its potentially harmful health effects. Neither paraquat nor diquat is banned in the US.
Analyzing the latest research, scientists in China, led by Cheng He of the Suining Central Hospital, have now identified all the ways in which diquat may disrupt our health.
When absorbed through the gut, diquat can spread throughout the body's tissues. The herbicide that is not excreted through faeces or urine usually goes on to cause acute kidney injury. Liver dysfunction is also common, and lung and nervous system injuries have also been reported.
In fact, at high enough concentrations, diquat poisoning can lead to multiple organ failure and even death.
Autopsy studies of those who have died from diquat poisoning suggest that not all the herbicide is absorbed by the gut. Some of the chemical sticks around in the digestive tract, possibly disrupting the microbiome and weakening the gut lining.
In Brazil, where diquat is popular and where protective gear is limited, local farmers have reported disturbing poisonings associated with the herbicide spray.
In the US, diquat-related illnesses have been recorded for years now.
While herbicides can help farms with their profits and boost crop yields, they also come with serious potential downsides to human and environmental health.
Replacing one toxic substance with another does little to solve the problem, it merely prolongs it.