One of World's Largest Dementia Clusters in Young People May Be Tied to High Blood Levels of Glyphosate
A recent investigative article in the New York Times by journalist Greg Donahue revealed the abandonment of a group of brain disease patients in an area of Canada with forestry management for paper products, agriculture, and large amounts of pesticide use, including glyphosate. It illustrates the tension in the relationship between government authorities, regulated industries, and neurologists on the front lines. The article details the manner in which health officials appeared to manipulate their own investigation of a disease cluster to make it less disruptive to the economy of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Learn more here from Beyond Pesticides.What are the environmental trade-offs of GM crops?
It has been reported that the high-yields and pest resistance of genetically modified crops could be a crucial agricultural buffer against climate change. But at the same time, GM crops could be driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human health impacts.These are the takeaways of a new Science study that delves into the potential environmental impacts of GM crops: it reviewed dozens of papers to reveal a nuanced picture of GM farming that highlights some of the surprising trade-offs of its agricultural prowess.
When the researchers delved into the body of literature, it revealed an interesting push and pull between the benefits and impacts of GM crops. For example, studies have shown that GM crops containing the insect-resistant trait required significantly less insecticide to manage agricultural pests.
But other studies reveal that over time, insects also develop resistance, themselves, to the GM crops, which can actually trigger more pesticide application to fields in the long run. In other words, insect-resistant crops may not be as neat a solution as they first appear. Learn more here.