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Beyond Pesticides, 701 E Street SE, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

06/01/2026

Daily News: Action Calls for Banning Hazardous and Persistent PFAS Pesticides, as Uses Continue

In the face of U.S. government inaction, the California state Assembly [California Assembly Democrats; California Assembly Republicans] last week passed legislation to phase out existing agricultural uses and ban new uses of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pesticides. The legislation, AB 1603, which accurately defines PFAS pesticides in accordance with international standards, does allow continued residential, school and park, playing field, and community PFAS pesticide use (including mosquito spraying). The bill now moves on to the state Senate. [California Senate Democrats; CA Senate Republicans]

While the bill is an important step forward, the legislation is one of many examples that compromises public and environmental health, as pesticide-associated cancer, degenerative diseases, multigenerational effects, and ecosystem decline escalate. This attack on health and the environment is happening at the same time that organic agriculture and land management prohibit the use of PFAS pesticides (as well as all petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers).

PFAS chemicals have become the new DDT. Like DDT, PFAS are persistent, leading to the nickname “forever chemicals,” and are highly toxic. The California victory paves the way for state action as communities, on the frontline of public health and environmental protection, are increasingly phasing out all toxic pesticide use and advancing organic land and building management systems, which include eliminating all PFAS pesticide use.

📣 Through an action, Beyond Pesticides is calling for accurately defining and banning PFAS pesticides, starting in California, and asking Congress and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop dismissing the serious health and environmental threat of these pesticides with the current PFAS definition, which defies international standards. 🔗 https://ow.ly/g70n50Z6g8z

ℹ️ For community leaders interested in advancing cost-effective practices instead of a lengthy and often compromised whack-a-mole, chemical-by-chemical approach, see Beyond Pesticides’ model local pesticide policy and implementation plan. 🔗 https://ow.ly/y6F150Z6g8w

🌱 Our team also assists communities through the Parks for a Sustainable Future program and other pest prevention programs, and collaborates via our organic agriculture and Keeping Organic Strong programs: 🔗 https://ow.ly/Jgpq50Z6g8y AND 🔗 https://ow.ly/BgTQ50Z6g8x

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/jzUT50Z6g8G

(Beyond Pesticides, June 1, 2026) In the face of U.S. government inaction, the California state Assembly last week passed legislation to phase out existing agricultural uses and ban new uses of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pesticides. The legislation, AB 1603, which accuratel...

05/30/2026

Take Action—Accurately Define and Ban PFAS Pesticides!

California legislation, AB 1603, which accurately defines the health and environmental threat of PFAS pesticides (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), bans all new uses, and phases out existing agricultural uses, passed the state Assembly on May 27, 2026, and now moves on to the state Senate. [California Senate Democrats; CA Senate Republicans]

This victory paves the way for state action as regulators at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refuse to act on clear scientific findings identifying devastating health and environmental threats. However, the bill language should be broader—it should include banning the use of all existing nonagricultural PFAS pesticides on landscapes (parks, playing fields, schoolyards), in buildings, and for community insect management.

State and local legislators must recognize that the public and environment need urgent protection at the state level, in the absence of federal action. In this context, the bill serves as a call for all states to push for this type of legislation in all statehouses across the country, in the U.S. Congress, and, of course, at EPA. Communities are phasing out all toxic pesticide use and advancing organic land and building management systems, which include eliminating all PFAS pesticide use.

ℹ️ This action targets Congress and EPA, and, for California residents, it additionally targets California state Senators.

📣 Accurately define and ban PFAS pesticides, starting in California. Don't let EPA dismiss the serious health and environmental threat with a definition that defies international standards. https://ow.ly/3SXK50Z5NHs

***
📝 Please use Beyond Pesticides' model local pesticide policy and implementation plan to discuss directly with your mayor and local officials the simple steps to go organic in your community. https://ow.ly/5ZTL50Z5NOj

🏞️ Plus, we can assist through our Parks for a Sustainable Future program and other pest prevention programs! https://ow.ly/E97l50Z5NOE

📣 Accurately define and ban PFAS pesticides, starting in California. Don't let EPA dismiss the serious health and environmental threat with a definition that defies international standards.

05/29/2026

Daily News: Widespread Multiple Pesticide Exposure with Adverse Effects Again Documented in Honey Bee Hives 🐝

In a new study published in Environmental Pollution, researchers detected 15 currently used pesticides (CUPs)—including 10 pesticide compounds detected but not applied within the study’s managed fields— in the pollen of beehives in an environment meant to reflect a typical honey bee foraging range. Universität Bern; Agroscope

The detection of pesticides not directly applied within the study’s target radius demonstrates the pervasiveness of pesticide drift into soils, streams, and bodies of water. In this context, public health and environmental advocates continue to call for a wholesale transition to organic land management.

The findings are particularly concerning given the toxicity hazards to honey bees associated with pesticide exposure in this study and bolstered by other studies, resulting in documented threats to their health—as reviewed in today's full Daily News article.

🔬 To learn more about the science on pesticides and how they impact ecosystem functioning, see Beyond Pesticides' page: What the Science Shows on Biodiversity. 🔗 https://ow.ly/X6gN50Z5Cht

🌱 Also, consider taking action by telling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Congress that regulations must consider the effects of pesticides in the context in which they are used and with reference to the organic alternative. 🔗 https://ow.ly/8hIr50Z5Ce2

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/gmpc50Z5Ce4

In a new study, researchers detected 15 currently used pesticides (CUPs) in the pollen of beehives in the environment.

05/28/2026

Daily News: Population Declines in Insectivorous Birds Linked to Insecticide Exposure and Declines in Insects, Study Finds 🪶

Researchers from France and Germany, as published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, find that declines in bird populations are strongly linked to their diets, with insectivorous birds experiencing the greatest impacts. [Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité; La Rochelle Université; Sorbonne Université; Université de Montpellier; RPTU]

🗨️ “Overall, our results emphasize the strong association between insecticide use and insectivorous bird declines,” the authors note. “We found a consistent negative association between insecticide use and population trends of insectivorous birds, the most abundant group, regardless of migration strategy. This pattern suggests indirect effects linked to the depletion of insects as a food source.”

In analyzing bird population trends in France over 15 years and comparing bird responses across diets and pesticide types, this study highlights the negative association between insect population declines and insectivorous bird population declines that are linked to agricultural intensification.

The impacts of pesticides on birds can occur through various routes of exposure. Birds can be exposed to pesticides directly through ingestion of seeds that have been treated with pesticides, or indirectly through consumption of small insects and other animals that have ingested the pesticides themselves, leading to secondary poisonings of the birds. They can also be indirectly affected through declines in insect populations, as shown in the current study. When insect populations are reduced, this natural food source for birds is also reduced, creating cascading trophic effects.

The adverse effects of pesticide use on bird populations cannot be understated. However, birds, insects, and all other organisms, including humans, can be protected with the full elimination of petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. 🔗 https://ow.ly/wLRU50Z5iza

🐦 For more information on the impacts of pesticides on birds, please see Beyond Pesticides' webpage here: https://ow.ly/BO0W50Z5iz5

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/LfXm50Z5izb

Researchers from France and Germany, as published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, find that bird population declines are strongly linked to their diets, with insectivorous birds experiencing the greatest impacts.

05/27/2026

Daily News: Study Reviews Efficacy of Organic Compatible Bioherbicides

In a perspective analysis published in Frontiers in Agronomy, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and ZP Hibridi point out the growing availability of organic-compatible herbicide controls (bioherbicides) as an opportunity to “complement crop diversification and improve soil health, that may serve as a foundational component of agroecological cropping systems, driving a transition toward reduced external inputs and strengthening essential ecosystem services for long-term sustainability.”

The researchers distinguish between biopesticides based on their mode of action, regulatory status, including whether they are compliant to federal organic standards as defined under Organic Food Production Act (OFPA), the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, and guidance from the National Organic Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The article also references biopesticides listed by the OMRI - The Organic Materials Review Institute, which conducts its own review process with requirements that they must not be prohibited on the National List, that manufacturing does not include prohibited methods, and that all ingredients comply with organic standards with no prohibited contaminants.

This distinction is critical given active attempts in Congress and federal agencies to enable greenwashing and undermine corporate accountability.

↪️ For example, there is an ongoing effort to change/amend regulatory definitions of pesticide-related compounds in Section 10201 of the House-passed Farm Bill so that they are exempt from the standard registration review process under federal pesticide law, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 🔗 https://ow.ly/QNGq50Z4Nif

↪️ Similarly, the organic community also staved off a multi-year effort to permit the use of synthetic materials (“compost feedstocks”) in the January 2026 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting. 🔗 https://ow.ly/L9JA50Z4Nie

ℹ️ For additional information on organic-compatible products, see Beyond Pesticides' pages on Pesticide Products Compatible with Organic Landscape Management and Fertilizers Compatible with Organic Landscape Management. 🔗 https://ow.ly/NbSQ50Z4Nij and https://ow.ly/L5Gv50Z4Nih

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/ErnC50Z4Nii

In a perspective analysis researchers point out the growing availability of organic-compatible bioherbicides as an opportunity.

05/26/2026

Daily News: Hantavirus-Caused Cruise Ship Deaths Raise Disease Transmission, Prevention, and Global Alliance Issues

🐀 Earlier this month, with global attention focused on 12 known or suspected cases of hantavirus, including three deaths, on a cruise ship expedition in the South Atlantic, issues of rodent management, vector control, and disease transmission have made headlines around the world.

The incident raises important questions about rodent biology, identification of virus location, method of disease transmission, cleaning practices, and ultimately control and prevention measures that are not harmful to people, wildlife, and ecosystems. The incident also shines a spotlight on the critical importance of the United States’ collaboration in international organizations, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), in a world of international travel where transmissible diseases extend beyond countries’ borders.

With the Trump Administration defunding international programs and withdrawing from WHO, most medical experts agree that the world and U.S. residents are at a heightened threat from transmissible diseases that move throughout the world. A new approach emphasizes the improvement of overall community health, rather than focusing on rodents as symptoms of a problem that occurs in a vacuum. In doing so, a community may be able to successfully use different intervening actions—such as proper waste disposal, keeping livestock out of water bodies, and alterations to butchering practices.

📣 In this context, Beyond Pesticides has launched a campaign to "Tell local officials to use good sanitation and ecological management to prevent rodent problems and not use hazardous rodenticides": https://ow.ly/lLBc50Z4kJa

ℹ️ To learn more about precautionary steps, cleaning, and ways to avoid infection, please see today's Daily News in full, featured on our website!

🌎 Also, please see our Daily News post from February 6, 2026, which also includes a link to our commentary on worldwide collaboration: https://ow.ly/mfQ350Z4kKm

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/W3ZJ50Z4kL3

(Beyond Pesticides, May 26, 2026) Earlier this month, with global attention focused on 12 known or suspected cases of hantavirus, including three deaths, on a cruise ship expedition in the South Atlantic, issues of rodent management, vector control, and disease transmission have made headlines aroun...

05/23/2026

Take Action—Don’t Panic About Hantavirus... Learn To Manage Rodents

Since 1993, people in the Four Corners area of the U.S. Southwest have faced periodic outbreaks of hantavirus. Although the virus is found elsewhere, the ecology of the rural Southwest—including geography, climate, housing patterns, and close human contact with deer mice—produces ideal conditions for the disease to flourish. Understanding this ecology can help prevent hantavirus outbreaks in humans, as well as other rodent-borne diseases.

📣 Tell your local officials to use good sanitation and management to prevent rodent problems:

📣 Tell your local officials to use good sanitation and ecological management to prevent rodent problems!

05/22/2026

Daily News: As Rates Rise in Younger People, Early-Onset Colon and Re**al Cancer Linked to Pesticides’ Altering Gene Expression

An important study by cancer researchers in Barcelona, Spain, at once shows a path forward in illuminating the long-term, multigenerational health damage from pesticide exposures and demonstrates how extraordinarily dilatory U.S. agricultural regulators are in protecting public health.

The study, “Epigenetic fingerprints link early-onset colon and re**al cancer to pesticide exposure,” found a robust association between methylation markers (for gene expression associated with cancer) and exposure to a number of pesticides, with the herbicide picloram having the strongest link. Other pesticides with strong associations include the weedkillers atrazine, glyphosate, nicosulfuron, and insecticide esfenvalerate.

Colon cancer is expected to double, and re**al cancer to quadruple, in this young age group by 2030. This sharp contrast between age groups suggests that environmental exposures, rather than strictly genetics, are involved.

It is difficult to calculate unintended consequences given that many diseases, including cancers, take decades—even generations—to manifest after early exposures to toxic chemicals. But the consequences are starting to be seen in the preserved cellular record, and with this knowledge comes the responsibility to adopt regulatory restrictions that stop causing the harms.

Daily News Blog Post:

(Beyond Pesticides, May 21, 2026) An important study by cancer researchers in Barcelona, Spain at once shows a path forward in illuminating the long-term, multi-generational, health damage from pesticide exposures and demonstrates how extraordinarily dilatory U.S. agricultural regulators are in prot...

05/22/2026

Daily News: Remembering Those Who Died On and Off the Battlefield Due to the Horror of War

***Content Warning: This post discusses the effects of war and chemical exposure, including su***de and impacts on mental health, among military veterans.

On Memorial Day, those who served and died in the armed forces are remembered for their ultimate sacrifice. And the victims of war are memorialized. Of critical note are the effects of war that extend beyond the battlefield to those who return home or remain in the aftermath with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ultimately take their lives by su***de, as well as those exposed to deadly chemicals that caused premature death.

A 2022 study finds, “ VA [Veteran Affairs] patients with current or past diagnosis of PTSD have been found to have an unadjusted rate of 50.7 deaths by su***de per 100,000 person years of risk, compared to a rate of 13.2 in the general adult population.” This statistic can be evaluated in the context of a recent observational cohort study to be in print in August 2026 that focuses on exposure to toxic substances and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) through the analysis of data from 248,926 U.S. veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (MVP).

In comparing self-reported exposures to nine toxicants, including Agent Orange, chemical/biological weapons, anthrax vaccine, solvents/fuels, petroleum combustion products, lead, other metals, pesticides, and open-air burn pits, and mental health records, the researchers find that military veterans with higher toxic exposures are more likely to have STBs. The study, reviewed in Daily News, will be published in Psychiatry Research.

Exposure to toxic chemicals also can lead to death after service members return home or victims remain in the aftermath of war. In passing The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act), Congress recognized that chemical exposure through burn pits used during the Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of the Southwest Asia theater of military operations, caused deadly diseases from brain and nervous system disorders to cancer.

ℹ️ For more information, including tracking the research and links to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of resources on su***de prevention, please see our Daily News post, which is featured live on our website through the holiday.

Daily News Blog Post:

On Memorial Day, those who served and died in the armed forces are remembered for their ultimate sacrifice. And the victims of war are memorialized. Of critical note are the effects of war, that extend beyond the battlefield to those who return home or remain in the aftermath with post-traumatic str...

05/20/2026

Daily News: Elevated Oxidative Stress Damages Life-Essential Cell Function in Bees on Conventional, but Not Organic, Farms 🐝

A study of two pollinator species, honey bees and small carpenter bees, finds oxidative stress (OX)—an imbalance between antioxidant defenses and excess reactive oxygen molecules (species), or ROS—resulting from exposure to non-living (abiotic) stressors, such as synthetic chemicals, leading to cell damage.

ℹ️ Regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), do not routinely evaluate oxidative stress as a standalone or required endpoint in standard pesticide registration protocols.

When comparing pollinator responses to different pesticides and pest control management practices, the lowest OX levels are observed in organically managed systems, as reported in this study, published in Physiological Entomology. Central State University; The Miami Valley School, The Ohio State University; York University

“Overall, these findings show that variation in pesticide residue profiles across landscapes is associated with different OX responses in bees,” the authors note. “Given the essential ecosystem services provided by bees, our findings underscore the urgent need for landscape-level strategies to reduce pollinator exposure to chemical stressors.”

***
To mitigate the effects documented in the research above, as well as numerous others on pollinators and other insects, Beyond Pesticides urges the widespread shift to organic agriculture and land management. As shown in the current study, organic systems have the lowest levels of OX in the two bee species, providing a protective environment despite the numerous environmental contaminants that they can encounter.

🌎 To learn more about the science on pesticides and how they impact ecosystem functioning, see "What the Science Shows on Biodiversity": https://ow.ly/MMWg50Z2gvc

🌱 Plus, "Spring Into Action" to help cultivate and protect pollinator-friendly outdoor spaces: https://ow.ly/H0w250Z2gv9

Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/Ma1n50Z2gvg

Threats to pollinators from oxidative stress are lowest in organically managed systems, as show in a study of two bee species.

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