UCSD discovery may help extend life of natural pesticide
A team led by biologists at the University of California, San Diego has discovered a molecule in roundworms that makes them susceptible to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin, or Bt toxin--a pesticide produced by bacteria and widely used by organic farmers and in genetically engineered crops to ward off insect pests. Their findings should facilitate the design and use of Bt toxins to prevent ins...Scientists discuss improved biopesticides for locust control in West Africa
Two Virginia Tech scientists contributed by invitation to an international scientific meeting called by Abdoulaye Wade, president of Senegal, to identify strategies for the control of the ongoing locust outbreak in West Africa. Last year, locusts stripped fields of crops and trees of foliage across several countries, causing severe income and food supply loss. Larry Vaughan, associate pro...UN successfully tests 'green' pesticide against locusts
A new method for manipulating macromolecules has been developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The technique uses double-stranded DNA to direct the behavior of other molecules. In previous DNA nanotechnology efforts, duplex DNA has been used as a static lattice to construct geometrical objects in three dimensions. Instead of manipulating DNA alone into s...Green catalyst destroys pesticides and munitions toxins, finds Carnegie Mellon University
Results reported at American Chemical Society meetingA chemical catalyst developed at Carnegie Mellon University completely destroys dangerous nitrophenols in laboratory tests, according to Arani Chanda, a doctoral student who is presenting his findings on Sunday, Aug. 28, at the 230th meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, D.C. (Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemi...Corn grain mould used as pesticide
In the early 1960s more than 100,000 turkeys died in Britain of cancer of the liver. Eventually, researchers identified mouldy peanut flour from Brazil containing large amounts of aflatoxin as the cause of this mysterious 'turkey X' disease. Even today the toxin is regarded as one of the most virulent natural carcinogenic substances. The tasteless toxin is produced by the mould aspergillus...Fast Multi-Residue Pesticide Analysis in Soil and Vegetable Samples
The strict detection limits that are required for the quantitation of pesticide residues in food and environmental samples requires the use of very sensitive, selective, and rugged LC/MS/MS technologies. In this application note the benefits of using LC/MS/MS for this type of analysis...Platypus receives $2.14M grant to develop personal pesticide monitors
MADISON, Wis. The grant is to continue development of a personal monitor for the measurement of low-dose, cumulative exposure to pesticides. The mo...Pesticide impairs male reproductive function
According to the May issue of the journal Epidemiology, high levels of DDT found in some Mexican workers suggest that pesticide can impair male reproductive function. The human body metabolises DDT to DDE. An international team of researchers took blood samples from 24 men aged 16 to 28 who had not been exposed to DDT in their work. In these men the high DDE levels correlated to low leve...Male infertility in relation to pesticide
Exposure to pesticides and solvents can further lower fertility among infertile men, a new report suggests.The study shows these chemicals may worsen the effect of pre-existing genetic or medical risk factors for infertility. The authors stress the findings should be treated with caution because they involved a selected population of infertile men, from a productive farming region in A...Link between pesticide and breast cancer
A new study has found that women with breast cancer are more likely to have traces of the pesticide DDT in their blood. A residue of the fungicide hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were present in them. The findings however do not conclude that DDT or HCB actually cause breast cancer. The pesticides banned in Canada and Europe is still used for mosquito control in developing countries. DDT, HCB and other...Pesticide exposure may cause Parkinson’s diseas
Scientists have reportd that exposure to pesticides may raise the risk f Parkinson’s disease considerably//. The more a person is exposed to the pesticides the highre are his chances of developing Parkinson’s. The reseaearchers have studied about 3000 people in Europan countries who either have suffered from the diseases or were of similar backgrounds and exposed to risk factors like p...Exposure to Pesticides in Schools Produces Illnesses Among Employees, Students
The number of school children getting affected by illnesses due to exposure to //pesticides have increased significantly, from the figures of 1998 to 2002, reports a research in the recent issue of JAMA. “Exposure to pesticides in the school environment is a health risk facing children and school employees,” background information in the article states. Pesticides continue to be used b...