Sabine Martin reports for Des Moines Register:

“A bill that would limit Iowans’ ability to sue agricultural chemical manufacturers for not warning users of potential health risks on its labels is eligible for Senate debate after a committee advanced the legislation Wednesday.

The bill shields agricultural chemical manufacturers from litigation if product labels are sufficient to warn users of potential health and safety risks and comply with federal regulations. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bill Wednesday 11-7.

The pesticide and herbicide manufacturer Bayer, the only U.S. maker of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is at the center of the bill’s discussion. Bayer is backing the bill and founded Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of over 90 agricultural stakeholders that are campaigning for its passage.

Bayer also has stakes in Iowa as the home of a plant in Muscatine that manufactures 70% of North America’s Roundup.

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country, according to the 2024 Iowa Cancer Registry.”

Learn how the Cancer Registry predicted that 6,100 people will die in Iowa from cancer this year

Let’s make Bayer the number-one company that state legislators hear complaints about! TAKE ACTION NOW: Ban Roundup, Don’t Bail Out Bayer!

Analysis by Ashley Armstrong for Mercola.com:

“STORY-AT-A-GLANCE

* Over the past century, the fat composition in the human body has drastically shifted, with polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), especially linoleic acid, replacing stable saturated fats. Research shows that linoleic acid levels in human adipose tissue have increased by 136% over the last 50 years, directly reflecting the rise in dietary PUFA consumption

* Unlike saturated fats, PUFAs are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, leading to inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and increased production of harmful byproducts. Lowering dietary PUFA intake can significantly reduce oxidative stress, but because stored PUFAs have a long half-life of approximately 680 days, restoring a healthier fat balance takes time

* C15:0, an odd-chain saturated fat found in grass fed dairy and ruminant animal fat, strengthens cell membranes, lowers inflammation, and helps protect against PUFA-induced oxidative damage

* Modern agricultural practices have reduced C15:0 levels in dairy products, making grass fed sources the best option for obtaining this essential fatty acid

* Prioritizing traditional animal fats while reducing PUFA intake can help restore metabolic health, aligning the body’s fat composition with that of our ancestors”

Learn how it’s possible to reclaim a healthier fat composition, bringing us closer to the robust metabolic health of our great-great grandparents

Jason Mark writes for Civil Eats:

“February 19, 2025 update: Egg prices may be impacted for reasons beyond the scarcity of laying hens due to bird flu. Farm Action, a farmer-led advocacy group, has written to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, requesting an investigation into “potential monopolization and anticompetitive coordination” by the egg industry. “While avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices, its actual impact on production has been minimal,” the group wrote. “Instead, dominant egg producers . . . have leveraged the crisis to raise prices, amass record profits, and consolidate market power.

Far from being a problem, then, backyard birds offer something of a solution. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, this latest avian flu–driven price shock has reignited interest in backyard flocks. Even if the virus were to disappear tomorrow, retail egg prices will be well above normal for another 12 to 18 months. It will take at least that long for commercial breeding flocks to recover. So this may be the good time to invest in a backyard flock.

Given all the news about bird flu, you’re no doubt wondering whether backyard poultry could put you or your household at serious risk. At this point, the answer is no. Most of the 67 human cases of bird flu in the United States have resulted from people catching the virus from dairy cattle, and most of them have been mild cases.

There are plenty of how-to guides to help you learn the basics, from the encyclopedic The Small-Scale Poultry Flock to the more quick and dirty tips in The Essential Urban Farmer. Maurice Pitesky and his colleagues at U.C. Davis also has a useful library of fact sheets.”

Learn more

Tom Perkins, the Guardian:

“Antioxidants that give fruits and flowers their vibrant colors seem to counteract some of the most dangerous reproductive system effects of exposure to microplastics, such as decreased fertility, and could ultimately be used in developing treatments, new peer-reviewed research shows.

The paper focused on microplastics’ reproductive toxicity and plant compounds called anthocyanins, which are widely found in nuts, fruits and vegetables. The new review of scientific literature on anthocyanins found that the compounds are probably protective against a range of plastic-induced impacts on hormones, reductions in testosterone and estrogen, decreased sperm counts, lower sperm quality, erectile dysfunction and ovarian damage.

‘The search for natural compounds to counteract these harmful effects is ongoing, with anthocyanins emerging as a promising candidate,’ wrote the study’s authors, who are with the Finland-China Food and Health Network.”

Read about how, in women, impacts on fertility and sexual development could be mitigated by anthocyanins that seem to protect hormone receptors from plastic chemicals such as bisphenol, phthalates and cadmium

Iowa lawmakers are trying to shield Bayer, the manufacturer of Roundup, from cancer lawsuits.

As you know, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a probable human carcinogen.

Thousands of people have already suffered from cancer due to exposure to this toxic herbicide.

Bayer has gathered forces to try to escape liability, but we need to fight back.

We need your support to:

* Continue our campaign to ban glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup
* Help hold Bayer accountable for the harm caused by their products
* Give citizens the opportunity to take action
* Protect the health and well-being of our communities

At the Organic Consumers Association, we believe that organic and regenerative agriculture is the way forward.

Fighting pesticide use is an important part of that mission.

By supporting small-scale, organic regenerative farmers and promoting soil building practices, we can create a healthier food system and a agroecology focused future!

Will you join us in taking on Bayer and fighting for a healthier, safer future?

If you have donated recently, thank you!

If you can donate now, please do, we can really use your help, every dollar counts in this fight.

Thank you for your support!

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Make a lasting impact through monthly giving, stock donations, planned giving, and IRA charitable distributions

From The Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE):

Dr. Elena Álvarez-Buylla, who directed the national science agency for six years, will outline the research carried out to underpin Mexico’s 2023 decree to restrict the use of GM corn in tortillas and other minimally processed corn products, and to phase out the use of glyphosate.

Erica Hagman Aguilar will present the key findings from the well-referenced 200-page science dossier, which was recently translated into English.

This webinar will be moderated by researcher and writer Timothy A. Wise.

Learn more and register here

Douglas Main, The New Lede:

“Opposition to the US practice of adding fluoride to drinking water supplies has been growing as more evidence accumulates linking fluoride exposure to potential harmful brain impacts in children. Now, the future of the practice could be in doubt, with Thursday’s confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Kennedy, an environmental health lawyer, has been calling for an end to fluoridation in public drinking water for years. And though it is the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that has regulatory oversight of fluoride levels in water supplies, the HHS plays a role in policy by publishing recommendations for fluoridation that many states follow.

An HHS task force currently recommends fluoridation based on ‘strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing tooth decay.’

But that could change. In his new role, Kennedy is widely expected to push for guidance against fluoridation.

While proponents of the practice argue that fluoride is an important tool in promoting dental health, there is growing evidence that chronic ingestion of the substance – even at low doses associated with fluoridation – might negatively impact the brain health of infants, young children, and fetuses.”

Learn more

Independent Science News reports:

“The first Asilomar conference of 1975 has been both celebrated and condemned.

Whichever way you lean it was certainly a pivotal moment in the history of biotechnology.

Californian researchers working on GM microbes and GM viruses faced pushback for the first time on the potential hazards involved and gradually came to realise that their experiments might be dangerous and needed oversight. The critical question (for them) became: who would do the oversight? The public? The government? The scientists themselves? 

So they met at Asilomar, California, partly to assess the dangers and partly to create a solution to their political problem.

Since the meeting was invitation-only and held behind closed doors the solution was a very self-serving one. They decided, in the absence of any meaningful critical presence, that only scientists needed to oversee their research. That solution became the model for all biotechnology oversight. It has led to uncontrolled and sometimes disastrous experiments, and to global genetic contamination by commercial products.



Today, in 2025, the dangers we face from synthetic biology, mirror life, RNA technology, gene editing, etc., are much greater. Starting on February 23rd, another but much bigger conference at Asilomar (Spirit of Asilomar and the future of Biotechnology, Feb 23rd-26th) will begin. It also proposes to guide biotech regulation. It too is a closed-door invitation-only event and this time too, judging by its funders, and its lead scientific organiser, the primary goal is not enhancing public safety but about hyping biotechnology. 



The concern underlying the Global Civil Society Statement featured below is that this new Spirit of Asilomar conference will be used, under the false guise of open discussion, to give a green light to unfettered biotech research. 



The intended use of this Civil Society Statement (which as of today has been signed by over 50 global NGOs), was to be read aloud to the meeting to alert attendees to the perennially-excluded perspective of Civil Society.”


Read the open statement from Civil Society addressing the ‘Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology’ conference

Shannon Kelleher reports for The New Lede:

“Concerns are growing about the fate of a Biden-era rule to limit toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water, with some states moving to introduce laws that would lock in place PFAS protections that could survive any potential rollback by the Trump Administration.

California introduced legislation on Wednesday that would direct the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt regulations at least as protective as those in the federal rule. If California’s bill passes, it will require state regulators to set new regulations by January 1, 2026 that would mirror the Biden Administration rule that set a limit on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.

The legislation specifically calls for adopting the requirements in place on a federal level as of the day prior to President Donald Trump’s January 20th inauguration.

‘We think there’s a case here for folks to act with urgency given the developments in Washington, given the threat to public health and public safety that these chemicals pose,’ Assembly member Jesse Gabriel (D-CA), who introduced the bill, said on a February 19 press call. ‘We are going to do this so we can protect our communities irrespective of what happens at the federal level.’”



Read more


TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators to Ban Toxic PFAS!

Sammie Caramela, Vice:

“Experts use chlorine as part of the water treatment process to eliminate any infectious diseases or other harmful organisms in our drinking water. However, according to the research, using chlorine to disinfect water leads to the production of trihalomethane (THM) byproducts, which can cause a variety of health issues, including cancer and reproductive problems. In fact, it increases the risk of bladder cancer by 33 percent and colorectal cancer by 15 percent.


‘Studies conducted in the U.S. and Europe have found that drinking tap water that carries disinfection byproducts increases the risk of developing bladder cancer,’ EWG continued. ‘Some human epidemiological studies also reported an association between disinfection byproducts and an increased risk of problems during pregnancy, including spontaneous miscarriage, cardiovascular defects, neural tube defects, and low birth weight.”



Read how, in the established drinking water safety standards, the levels of THM are quite harmful

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

“STORY-AT-A-GLANCE

* Frequent posting on social media has been linked to increased irritability and emotional instability; people who post daily experience the highest levels of distress

* A large-scale study found that individuals who both scroll and post on social media frequently have worse mental health outcomes than those who rarely engage

* Unlike passive scrolling, active engagement — especially frequent posting — triggers stress by increasing social comparison, online conflicts and reliance on external validation

* Instead of using social media, focus on real-world connections and offline activities to help restore your emotional balance and mental clarity

Strategies that will help improve your emotional well-being include reducing social media exposure, going on a social media break and cutting back on posting frequency”

Learn how to reduce social media’s impact on your mental and emotional health

The Best Water Filters

Farmers ‘Very Worried’ as Us Pesticide Firms Push to Bar Cancer Diagnoses Lawsuits

FDA Delays When a Final Rule on What Foods Can Be Labeled As ‘Healthy’ Goes Into Effect

The Hidden Health Benefit of Carbohydrates

Honey May Be a Natural Way to Beat Bacteria

Backyard Chickens: Floridians Start Raising Hens to Combat Rising Egg Prices

Shaping Life – Sowing the Future

Hurts So Good: The Painful Pleasure of Chillies

USDA Layoffs Derail Projects Benefiting American Farmers

Ontario First Nation Challenging Selection of Underground Nuclear Waste Site in Court

Fighting Floods with Florals: Planting Wildflowers to Stop Climate Change

A New Blueprint to Help Save Our Children from Synthetic Chemicals

How Are Plastic Takeout Containers Harming Your Heart Health?

TAKE ACTION: Ban Cancer-Causing Black Plastic Toxic Flame Retardants!

Portland, Deadly 6PPD-q And Coho: Reasons For Hope

Inside Greenpeace International’s Legal Fight Against Big Oil’s Bullying Lawsuit