News

March 14, 2025

Decision to axe advisory groups could spell trouble for US food safety

By Shannon Kelleher

A Trump administration move to axe key food safety advisory committees could leave the public more vulnerable to food-borne illnesses, critics fear, particularly alongside current legislative efforts to undermine proposed safety regulations on food processors.

The decision to cut the committees, which brought together academics, industry researchers and consumer advocates to advise agencies on food safety, comes after hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses more than doubled last year, with most illnesses attributed to the same harmful pathogens that the groups were working to address. And it comes less than a month after Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would block the implementation of a proposed new regulatory framework for reducing Salmonella contamination in raw poultry that was introduced under former President Joe Biden.

“It doesn’t appear that this administration at the highest level seems to care about food safety,” said Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist for the group Consumer Reports who was serving on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF).

The USDA announced March 6 that it was terminating NACMCF, which provided scientific advice and recommendations to the USDA, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a broad range of issues related to pathogens and public health. The USDA said all work should stop immediately, citing President Donald Trump’s Feb. 19 executive order to pare down the federal bureaucracy.

The agency also terminated the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI), which advised the USDA on the safety of meat and poultry inspection programs.

Elaine Scallan Walter, the co-director of the Colorado Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence at the Colorado School of Public Health who has not served on either committee, said she was “dismayed” by the decision to eliminate them.

March 14, 2025

Americans to face more disease and death due to Trump’s air quality rollbacks, health experts warn

By Dana Drugmand

American families will face increasing rates of environmental-related illnesses and premature deaths, including lung and cardiovascular diseases, due to the Trump administration’s sweeping rollbacks of air quality regulations, health professionals warn.

The moves to slash roughly two dozen environmental and public health protections weaken rules dealing with a range of health threats, including mercury emissions from power plants and tailpipe pollution from vehicles.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced March 12 what the agency is labeling the biggest and greatest deregulatory push in US history.

“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the US and more,” Zeldin said in the announcement.

Industry trade groups applauded the EPA actions. The American Petroleum Institute said the Trump administration is “answering the call” for more “affordable, reliable and secure American energy,” while the American Chemistry Council said EPA’s plan to revisit soot standards will help “foster continued industry growth.”

Public health and environmental experts, however, said the Trump administration is ignoring the enormous health and economic benefits that clean air and climate protections provide.

“If Zeldin’s deregulatory jihad succeeds, he will leave America a sicker and poorer place,” Joseph Goff, former assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in a statement.

March 13, 2025

Judge orders wildlife service to do more to protect imperiled species from pesticides

By Douglas Main

A federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must finish assessing the impact of five pesticides on endangered and threatened species, and that the agency had violated federal law with its “unreasonable” delay in completing the required analyses.

The five chemicals include the weed killers atrazine and simazine, and the insecticides chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and carbaryl.

The ruling ought to force the Trump administration to “protect imperiled wildlife from harms caused by pesticides,” said Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which brought the suit.

“We’re glad the court found the federal government still has to follow the law,” including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), to protect imperiled wildlife, Evans said.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed initial evaluations for all the chemicals, finding that they present serious risks to threatened and endangered species. For example, the EPA concluded that chlorpyrifos is “likely to adversely affect” 1,778 threatened or endangered plants and animals, a whopping 97% of all protected wildlife.

The EPA likewise reported that diazinon is likely to harm 78% of these species; carbaryl, 91%; and atrazine and simazine, 56% and 55%, respectively.

March 12, 2025

“Chaos and panic” as US slashes funds for small farmers and food assistance

By Carey Gillam

Farmers and food assistance groups around the country are reeling this week amid a series of moves by the Trump administration to cut funding for programs that support small and disadvantaged farmers and provide food for low-income families.

The loss of funding, which totals more than $1 billion, was sending shock waves through a system set up to provide reliable markets and consistent income for farmers who supply healthy, unprocessed, locally grown fruits and vegetables and other foods to hunger assistance organizations and public schools.

Funding was spread through every US state but some of the largest amounts of program money were earmarked for farmers in California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Georgia.

“This is a huge deal for small farmers,” said Ellee Igoe, co-owner of Solidarity Farm in southern California and director of operations for Foodshed, a San Diego County network of regenerative and organic farms supplying food to families in need.

“We’re growing healthy food and providing it to local communities. And they are cancelling contracts without real reason. Out here, it feels like it is very politically motivated.”

Igoe said she and others believe the cuts are related in part to President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate programs that carry “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) objectives because when applying for program funding under the Biden administration, applicants were asked to list how the funding would help minority/disadvantaged farmers.

March 11, 2025

Microplastics boost antibiotic resistance in E. coli, lab study suggests

By Shannon Kelleher

Co-mingling of tiny pieces of plastic with certain harmful bacteria can make the bacteria harder to fight with several common antibiotics, according to a new study that adds to global concerns about antibiotic resistance.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found that when Escherichia coli (E. coli) MG1655 bacteria, a widely-used laboratory strain, were cultured with microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size), the bacteria became five times more resistant to four common antibiotics than when they were cultivated without the plastic particles.

The findings may be particularly relevant for understanding links between waste management and disease, the study suggests. Municipal wastewater plants contain both microplastics and antibiotics, making them “hot spots” that fuel the spread of antibiotic resistance.

“The fact that there are microplastics all around us …. is a striking part of this observation,” study co-author and Boston University professor Muhammad Zaman said in a press release. “There is certainly a concern that this could present a higher risk in communities that are disadvantaged, and only underscores the need for more vigilance and a deeper insight into [microplastic and bacterial] interactions.”

Many types of bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, largely due to their overuse. Over 2.8 million infections resistant to these medications occur in the US alone each year, killing 35,000 people annually, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resistance in E.coli is a concern because even though the bacteria usually live harmlessly in the guts of humans and animals, some strains can cause severe illness. And there are multiple types of dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which often causes infections in hospitals, and Clostridium difficile (C.diff), which causes diarrhea.

March 7, 2025

Amid lack of faith in FDA, US states rush to ban food dyes

Call it a MAHA moment. At least a dozen US states – from traditionally conservative Oklahoma to liberal-leaning New York – are rushing to pass laws outlawing commonly used dyes and other chemical additives in foods, citing a need to protect public health.

In one of the most far-reaching efforts, West Virginia on Wednesday advanced a sweeping ban on a range of common food dyes that have been linked to health problems, particularly for children, with overwhelming support from both Republicans and Democrats.

The new law prohibits the sale of any food product containing certain yellow, blue, green and red dyes often found in candies, snacks and other foods and drinks, and goes much further than any other state in moving to eliminate the chemicals from store shelves.

The West Virginia measure has passed both legislative chambers and is expected to receive final clearance within the next week to move to the governor’s desk for signing.

Public health advocates have been lobbying for state and federal action for years, pointing to research that links food dyes and other chemical additives to a range of health risks, including neurobehavioral problems and cancers.

Food industry advocates have protested efforts to ban the additives, citing what they say is a lack of proof that the chemicals are harmful to people, and arguing such laws will make food more expensive.

But supporters of the measures say the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement associated with newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is giving fresh momentum to the efforts. Kennedy has long warned about chemical additives in food and vowed in his confirmation hearing before Congress to “scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply.”

“There is a lot of support for these measures now for a few reasons. The most obvious one is the MAHA movement,” said Laura Wakim Chapman, chair of the West Virginia Senate Health and Human Resources Committee. “Viral videos and social media content is informing the public about the dangers of unnecessary food additives. I am a mother of two and care deeply about their health. I think most parents do.”

March 4, 2025

Unregulated flame retardants can break down into toxic byproducts, study shows

By Douglas Main

New research shows that two unregulated and widely used flame retardants found in many electronic devices and touted by industry as non-toxic break down into harmful molecules that can pose a health risk to fish and potentially other creatures, including humans.

The chemicals in question, large molecules called polymers, have largely escaped regulation as industry has argued that the materials are unlikely to degrade or make their way into living creatures. Many are even marketed as non-hazardous or environmentally friendly.

But a study published Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability found evidence suggesting that is not true. Researchers reported finding dozens of smaller molecules caused by the breakdown of polymeric flame retardants in soil, dust, and air outside electronic waste recycling facilities in southern China. The scientists exposed zebrafish — commonly used in initial toxicity tests — to the chemicals and found that they caused metabolic dysfunction and showed the potential for development harm.

“Our study suggests polymers can act as a trojan horse for toxic chemicals,” Da Chen, senior author and scientist at Jinan University in China. “They are added to products as inert large molecules, but over time they can degrade, exposing us to their harmful breakdown products.”

In recent years, polymeric flame retardants have been used to replace smaller, toxic molecules, such as chemicals called HBCD and PBDE, which have been partially phased out due to safety concerns.

Most polymers, including all such flame retardants, are considered exempt from major regulations meant to protect humans. But the new research shows regulation is needed, said Arlene Blum, co-author of the study and a research associate at the University of California, Berkeley. Blum also serves as executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute.

February 27, 2025

Over-planting of GM corn costing farmers billions, study finds

By Douglas Main

A new study adds to evidence that farmers in the US corn belt have over-planted a type of genetically modified (GM) corn, leading to estimated losses of more than $1 billion as the pests the corn was designed to repel have grown resistant over time.

The authors of the paper, published Thursday in the journal Science, said their findings supported a move toward a “more diversified” seed supply.

Known as Bt corn because it contains up to five toxins produced by a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, the specialty corn is designed to express proteins that make the plant toxic to certain pests, including corn rootworm. More than 85% of corn planted in the US is the Bt variety, to which various insect pests are becoming resistant.

After examining rootworm crop damage data from 10 states over the period 2005-2016, the researchers determined that many farmers planted more GM corn than was considered necessary to address pest problems. Bt seeds typically carry a significant price premium.

The scientists found that planting Bt corn in certain eastern Corn Belt states provided “only marginal yield protection benefits,” benefits that appear to often be eclipsed by the higher costs for GM seed versus non-GM seed.

February 26, 2025

House hearing probes Biden climate spending as Zeldin threatens clawback

By Shannon Kelleher

A Republican-led House committee on Wednesday held a hearing that scrutinized the Biden administration’s spending on energy and environmental projects, amid concerns about possible conflicts of interest and the fast pace of funds appropriated in the former president’s final months in office.

“Our concern is when you have such a large volume of money getting out the door with such tight statutory deadlines, what processes and internal controls were in place for that money going out?” Nicole Murley, Acting Inspector General for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said in the Feb. 26 House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing. “That’s always what we would call a ‘situation of risk.’”

Democrats blasted the hearing as “out of touch,” saying the real problems at hand are conflicts of interest within the Trump administration and moves to freeze federal funding and fire large numbers of government employees, including the Inspectors General of both the EPA and the US Department of Energy (DOE).

“With all the fires and chaos that Trump and Musk are intentionally starting in these agencies, it’s ridiculous that this is what Republicans are choosing to conduct oversight on today,” said US Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey. “This hearing is not about oversight or accountability. Instead, it’s another effort by Republicans to justify stealing investments from American communities in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.”

The EPA and DOE each received billions of dollars through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed in 2021, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was signed in 2022. Funding made available through the laws has been appropriated for a wide range of projects, including clean energy grants, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects, environmental cleanup programs, clean school buses, and programs to reduce air pollution.

February 26, 2025

New data show widespread chemical contamination of drinking water

By Douglas Main

A newly released trove of data reveals widespread pollution of US tap water with more than 320 chemical contaminants, including industrial chemicals and farm-related pollutants.

The latest information is part of a tap water database, created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and incorporates information from nearly 50,000 water systems collected between 2021 and 2023.

Though few chemicals were found exceeding the federal government’s legally mandated maximum contaminant level (or MCL), almost all US water systems nation-wide contained at least one contaminant at levels that surpassed the health guidelines developed by EWG that are based on scientific research of the harms associated with the various contaminants.

“This is a wake-up call,” said Tasha Stoiber, an EWG senior scientist. “Outdated federal regulations continue to leave millions of people at risk of exposure to harmful substances.”

Among the chemicals commonly detected were per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, which were found in the water of at least 143 million Americans. Nitrates, a common waste product from farming operations linked to colorectal cancer and thyroid disease, were also commonly detected as well as disinfection byproducts caused by using chlorine.

Many of these disinfection byproducts — including chemicals called trihalomethanes, chloroform, haloacetic acids, and more — showed up in tens of thousands of water systems at concentrations far above what many health scientists consider safe.