California to outlaw pesticide chlorpyrifos deemed harmful to kids

California state officials announced a state-wide ban on a pesticide blamed for harming brain development in babies. The widely used pesticide, chlorpyrifos, was discovered to be more dangerous than previously thought. The EPA under President Trump reversed the Obama Administration’s effort to phase it out. The state’s move follows Hawaii’s ban of the neurotoxin last year and New York lawmakers’ bill now awaiting the governor’s signature to outlaw its use. Read more at CBS Sacramento...

White House has “Monsanto’s back on pesticides,” newly revealed document says

A memo filed in court shows communication between strategic intelligence and advisory firm Hakluyt and the Trump Administration with regards to the White House’s position on Monsanto. The group, which was hired to “to take the temperature on current regulatory attitudes for glyphosate,” provided Monsanto with an email that said the company “need not fear any additional regulation from the administration.” Read more at U.S. Right to Know...

Sunscreen chemicals soak all the way into your bloodstream

Results of a small clinical trial show that contrary to what sunscreen manufacturers have been saying, UV-blocking chemicals present in sunscreens do seep into circulation. The results of the study, which were published in the journal JAMA, examined how four of the most common sun-filtering molecules on the market behave once they’ve been rubbed into skin. The results, however, did not examine whether the molecules are doing harm inside the body. Read more at Wired...

Seafood without the sea: Will lab-grown fish hook consumers?

Amidst the buzz around lab-grown meat with the likes of Impossible Burger comes BlueNalu: a company bringing cell-based seafood to market. Cells extracted from fish will be carefully cultivated and grown into broad sheets of whole muscle that can be cut into filets and sold fresh, frozen or packaged. BlueNalu’s version of seafood will have no head, no tail, no bones or blood. Read more at Indiana Public Media...

Prepare for sticker shock. The U.S.-Mexico Tomato War is on

The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to pull out of a treaty with Mexican tomato growers that’s governed imported tomatoes since 1996. The end of the agreement, which was originally enacted from suspicion of Mexican growers dumping undervalued tomatoes into the U.S., requires a 17.56% duty on all fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico, a cost which will be passed to customers along the supply chain. Read more at New Food Economy...