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Catch up on the latest news and analysis from EWG’s team of experts.

Areas of Focus

Areas of Focus

Displaying 1 - 20 of 77

Trump EPA may threaten state and local bans of toxic weedkiller glyphosate

More than 40 local laws in place to protect communities from the toxic weedkiller glyphosate could be swept away if Republican state officials get their way. They’ve petitioned the Environmental...

10 questions for Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins

Brooke Rollins, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Agriculture, will testify January 23 before the Senate Agriculture Committee. The panel’s...

‘Forever chemicals’ in sludge may taint nearly 70 million farmland acres

Nearly 70 million acres of U.S. farmland could be contaminated by the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to estimates from biosolids industry groups. This contamination stems from the...

How states and the EPA acted to ban the brain-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos

Chlorpyrifos is the most widely used organophosphate pesticide in the U.S., with millions of pounds sprayed every year. Scientists have definitively linked it to severe brain damage in children and...

Senate farm bill proposal makes climate a USDA priority

If enacted, the farm bill released this week by Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) would finally make it a permanent Department of Agriculture priority to support farmers...

Growing use of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals threatens life-saving medications

The sale of antibiotics for use in livestock grew by 10 percent between 2017 and 2023, further jeopardizing the effectiveness of these life-saving drugs for humans.

How factory farms can contaminate onions with dangerous pathogens like E. coli

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration report that onions are the likely source of the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened...

E. coli from factory farms threatens America's leafy greens

A single enormous cattle feeding operation potentially threatens the safety of thousands of acres of leafy greens grown in the U.S. during the colder months, an EWG analysis shows.

EWG: Schools near pesticide spray zones could lose health protections

Thousands of schools are located near farms across the U.S. where pesticide may be sprayed, , an EWG analysis finds. But some members of Congress want to block state and local safeguards that protect...

CDC: August is peak month for toxic algae illness

In the last few weeks of August, your dog may face a higher risk of algae poisoning than ever.

Corn Belt farmers could dramatically reduce nitrous oxide emissions with a handful of conservation practices

Widespread adoption of six simple farm stewardship practices by corn farmers in the Midwest could dramatically reduce nitrous oxide emissions, EWG has found. Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is...

Brain-eating bacteria aren’t as threatening as toxic algae blooms

As summer heats up, news of fatalities from brain-eating amoeba seems to be everywhere – and people planning to spend time in and near local rivers and lakes might be concerned about contracting the...

Funding for climate-smart agriculture critical to tackling the climate emergency

If Congress cuts billions in climate-smart funding for agriculture in the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, to increase farm subsidies, U.S. farmers could soon become the nation’s leading source of...

Yet another pollinator, the monarch butterfly, is being threatened by toxic pesticides

The Eastern migratory monarch, the pretty orange and black butterfly that migrates through your garden come springtime and helps pollinate your flowers, is a welcome sight. But it’s facing serious...

Slashing food, climate funds to boost subsidies would hurt farmers, hungry people

Cuts to funding for food assistance and “climate smart” agricultural conservation practices to increase USDA farm subsidies would hurt farmers in most states, including California, Michigan, New York...

EWG: 30 years of environmental progress

Every day, consumers are presented with choices about how we protect ourselves and those we love. For the past 30 years, EWG has fought to make it easier for us to seize those opportunities.

Speaker McCarthy should target farm subsidies for the wealthy, not food stamps

This week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made ending food assistance for many hungry people one of his demands for raising the debt ceiling.

Dogs still not safe from toxic algae blooms in 2022

EWG’s annual tracking of algae bloom news reports finds more than 400 stories already this year, and further proof that toxic algae can be deadly for dogs.

Toxic algae blooms: What you should know

Summer is in full swing, with families heading to lakes and other bodies of water, and that means it’s also the peak season for harmful algae blooms. Toxic algae blooms are a growing problem...

Bee-killing 'neonic' pesticides may also harm children’s health

Commonly referred to as neonics, neonicotinoids are insecticides frequently used as a seed-coating treatment for corn and soybeans and applied to a variety of fruits and vegetables. Their use in the U...
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