Thirty years ago, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) launched a PR campaign against a plant-growth regulator called Alar, effectively eliminating the use of the chemical in agriculture. What's the legacy of this infamous anti-chemical scare? The New York Times continues to attack good scientists on the say-so of environmental groups. The paper is trashing its credibility.
chemicals
The activist group Friends of the Earth and its cheerleaders at The Guardian say soaring pesticide use is poisoning millions of people and killing thousands. True to form, they have misused the evidence to make their case.
Environmental Working Group has again claimed that chemicals in food and consumer products are contributing to obesity. They are mistaken, embarrassingly so.
A recent study suggested that pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables could counteract some of the nutritional benefits of consuming said produce. Are the results anything to worry about? No, not even a little bit.
The FDA recently released the latest results from its Pesticide Residue Monitoring Report. Spoiler alert: America's food supply still isn't tainted with harmful synthetic chemicals.
Peer review, especially peer review of chemical safety/risk assessments, is under assault. Is something inherently wrong with the process of this area of peer review?
All chemicals are toxic at some level. Some can cause harm at very small concentrations, while others need a large amount before there's a danger to human health. Even water can be deadly if consumed in large enough amounts. Let's take a closer look at various levels of safety and harm.
Are toxicologists medical doctors? And what does a person need to know to become a toxicologist? Dr. Michael Dourson, aka America's Toxicologist, and Dr. Bernard Gadagbui explain the field of toxicology.
At our 40th-anniversary celebration event in late 2018, Dr. Dourson was introduced to those in attendance at the Washington, DC gala as the nation's toxicologist. Although this welcoming gesture was made somewhat in jest, a quick review of his credentials lends it credence. Let's take a look.
A new study reveals that nearly 40% of Europeans want to "live in a world where chemical substances don't exist." Another 82% didn't know that table salt is table salt, whether it is extracted from the ocean or made synthetically.
There is wide divergence on the safety assessment of these chemicals, thus making communication with the public extremely difficult.
A new video released by the magazine attempts to explain why there are more obese Americans today than 30-40 years ago. It claims that even if people eat healthy and exercise, it's easier to be obese today because of three factors -- but only one of those is likely to be correct.