Special Topics Can exposure to insecticides impact monarch butterfly conservation? 24 Jun 2021December 29, 2021 Featured image: Monarch caterpillar photo was taken by Aaron Eckley at Iowa State University. This was originally published by Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium: https://monarch.ent.iastate.edu/can-exposure-insecticides-impact-monarch-butterfly-conservation. The question posed in the title…
Recent News Are everywhere chemicals contributing to lifestyle diseases? 30 Jan 2020December 29, 2021 Featured image: Some phthalates have been banned in children’s toys like these. Image source: Wikimedia commons This post was originally published in Envirobites Article: Radke EG, Galizia A, Thayer KA, Cooper…
NAS reports Assessing risk to endangered species 5 Jan 2020February 24, 2022 Featured image: The Golden Toad was last recorded in 1989. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (obtained from Wikimedia Commons) The “Assessing Risk to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides”…
NAS reports Preparing for future biotech products 16 Oct 2019January 5, 2020 The "Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology" National Academy Sciences (NAS) report was released in 2017. The report can be read or downloaded here for free: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24605/preparing-for-future-products-of-biotechnology. All images used…
Special Topics Why synthetic chemicals seem more toxic than natural ones 24 Aug 2019December 7, 2019 This post was originally published in Aeon Magazine. I wrote this article in the hope that it addresses the disproportionate fear that many people associate with chemicals, and to also…
Basics of Toxicology Estimating risk to non-humans 28 Dec 2018December 29, 2021 Featured image: Due to their pollination services and declining numbers, bees are often tested for their susceptibility to pesticides. Photo source: Maciej A. Czyzewski [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 4.0…
Basics of Toxicology Estimating risk to humans 25 Dec 2018December 29, 2021 Featured image: The difference between hazard and risk. Image source: European Food Safety Authority, 2016 We all know sharks can be dangerous. But most of us don't spend our waking…