Pesticide in food that's 'making America sick again' may get free pass
Georgia SB 144 would "clarify that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with respect to pesticides," reads the bill.
Emma Post, a spokesperson for MAHA Action based in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital, "The bill is literally making America sick again."
The legislation comes as Bayer Monsanto, producer of the Roundup weed killer, was ordered last week by a Georgia jury to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who says the product caused his cancer, according to reports.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Glyphosate, a pesticide used in products such as Roundup, has been shown to raise cancer risk in studies.
In a study published in the journal Mutation Research, University of Washington researchers found that exposure to the pesticide raises the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital that her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.
After attending a medical conference at Columbia University's Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.
"A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest," said Ryerson.
"After that easier harvest, because everything's dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at really alarmingly high levels."
Ryerson said she has been advocating against "pesticide liability shields" such as the bill in Georgia.
"This is a terrifying thing." She added, "All of those victims will not be able to sue."
Amid concerns about fertility, Ryerson said she brought three sperm samples to a lab to be tested, and glyphosate was present.
"The bill is literally making America sick again."
"It crosses the blood-test barrier. It is also shown to kill sperm," she cautioned. "So now when you're eating that every single day, which we all are, because it's ubiquitous — it's in the water. It's in the food, it's in the air. We can't avoid it."
Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals have found that glyphosate can harm sperm quality.
Farmers Dana and Lauren Cavalea of Freedom Farms in Greene, New York, told Fox News Digital that they don't use any chemicals in their fields.
"We use the animals to restore and regenerate the land," said Lauren Cavalea.
"[There are] other things that are outside of our control," Dana Cavalea added. For instance, "if you have folks nearby who are using chemicals … there's a chance they [will] get into your ground."
He went on, "You have a lot of people who are financially distressed, trying to keep their farms going. In order to create max production, we have to use these remedies that have been provided to us in order to create mass production."
He noted that it is a complicated yet simple system, and that he hopes to see things change amid the MAHA movement.
A spokesperson for Monsanto/Bayer — maker of Roundup — said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the verdict in the recent Georgia case "conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide."
Following scientific assessments in 2023, the European Union Commission re-approved glyphosate for another 10 years.
"We continue to stand fully behind the safety of Roundup products — critical tools that farmers rely on to produce affordable food and feed the world," added the Monsanto spokesperson.
Fox News Digital reached out to the EPA and Governor Kemp's office for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
8 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump deportation policies spook Pennsylvania city into scrapping immigrant protection vote
President Donald Trump's mass-deportation crackdown spooked leaders in at least one Democratic-majority east coast city, as its mayor and city council suddenly removed a scheduled vote on approving a "Welcoming City" ordinance from this month's agenda. Mayor Sal Panto Jr., of Easton, Pa., a moderate Democrat, moved to strike the ordinance vote from the agenda, with all but its sponsor, Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, backing the move, according to Lehigh Valley News. One member was absent. The ordinance would have given the city – 80 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia – a designation shared by Chicago, where leaders use the term "welcoming city" instead of the more politically charged "sanctuary city." Sultana told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that values should come first and lamented the decision. "The Council's decision stemmed from a place of pragmatism rather than principle … But the majority felt that formally adopting the 'Welcoming City' bill now would effectively paint a target on our city – a target for an administration that has demonstrated a willingness to weaponize federal funds against political adversaries," she said. In recent weeks, Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened civil action and withholding of federal funding from sanctuary cities or municipalities that do not align with federal immigration law – and Easton leaders didn't want that kind of attention. "This threat, while legally dubious, is very real. It jeopardizes the critical funding that our residents, including our undocumented neighbors who contribute immensely to our economy, depend on for essential services like education and public safety," Sultana said. Easton isn't alone in weighing its options. Other Lehigh Valley cities have faced similar debates. In February, neighboring Bethlehem also decided against passing a similar ordinance, as the Christmas City's Democratic mayor convinced city council against it. "We acknowledge that while many cities are seeking to respond to the recent threats of deportation by creating a 'welcoming ordinance'… in fact many of these practices have been in place for years," Mayor J. William Reynolds said at the time. Allentown – Pennsylvania's third-largest city – went the other direction, codifying a longstanding policy barring local resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law. One councilman said the vote did not create a "sanctuary" but presented a "guiding light [to] know where we stand and… what we can and cannot do." Councilman Frank Pintabone told Lehigh Valley News the "Welcoming City" ordinance sought to "fix a problem that doesn't exist," pointing to much heavier ICE activity in Allentown versus only two detentions so far in Easton. Panto said Easton remains a "welcoming city" in a proverbial sense and doesn't need such a moniker: "We welcomed every immigrant. I think our record shows that." A GOP official in Northampton County — whose parents immigrated legally to Easton from Cuba and Austria — criticized the idea of a "Welcoming City" or sanctuary ordinance, noting that his family already felt welcomed when they arrived. The official told Fox News Digital his father came to Easton in 1959, returned briefly to Cuba to see Fidel Castro overthrow the government and decided, "I'm getting the h--l out of here."
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
AI tools could weaken doctors' skills in detecting colon cancer, study suggests
The benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical space are ever-growing, but evidence suggests it can also come with risks. A new study by European researchers investigated how AI can change the behavior of endoscopists when conducting a colonoscopy, and how their performance dips when not using AI. The research followed clinicians at four endoscopy centers in Poland participating in the ACCEPT (Artificial Intelligence in Colonoscopy for Cancer Prevention) trial, where AI tools for polyp detection were introduced at the end of 2021. Colonoscopies at these centers were randomly selected to be administered with or without AI assistance. The researchers gauged the quality of the colonoscopies by comparing the identification of tumors (also known as the adenoma detection rate, or ADR) three months before and three months after implementing the AI. From September 2021 to March 2022, 1,443 patients underwent non-AI-assisted colonoscopies before and after the introduction of AI. The study found that the tumor detection rate decreased "significantly," going from 28.4% before AI exposure to 22.4% after AI exposure. The findings were published in the journal Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Per the researchers' analysis, exposure to AI, patient gender and age were "independent factors" associated with the tumor identification rate. The researchers concluded that "continuous exposure to AI might reduce the ADR of standard non-AI-assisted colonoscopy, suggesting a negative effect on endoscopist behavior." Harvey Castro, M.D., an emergency physician and specialist in AI and healthcare based in Texas, said he considers this study an "important piece of work." "This study highlights a paradox in medicine: Artificial intelligence can help us detect cancer, but it may also weaken the doctor's own ability to see what matters when the tool is not available," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. Castro emphasized that even a 1% change can affect colon cancer survival for "thousands of patients," which makes the 6% drop in detection rates significant. "Even small changes in adenoma detection can shift cancer outcomes," he said. "A reduction of a few percentage points is meaningful at a population level." The expert recommends integrating AI "wisely" instead of avoiding it all together. "As a physician futurist, I believe artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving detection and saving lives," Castro said. "At the same time, this study reminds us of a simple truth: Medicine is still a human profession. The doctor's eye, judgment and pattern recognition remain irreplaceable." Castro commented that the right path forward with AI in medicine is balance, designing it to strengthen clinicians instead of weakening. For more Health articles, visit "That requires training, oversight and intentional design," he said. "The best future is one where technology and humanity work side-by-side, doctor plus machine, ensuring patients get the safest and most effective care possible."
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Meet Mamdani's radical advisory circle that includes communist activist, anti-Israel advocates
FOX DIGITAL REVIEW: New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's growing circle of influence is littered with activists who have espoused anti-Israel views and socialist principles as he attempts to dispel the narrative that he is too "radical" to run the nation's largest city. Mamdani, who has been a fierce critic of President Trump's immigration policies, employs the help of several advisers as part of his "brain trust", New York Times reported, which includes New York Immigration Coalition president Murad Awawdeh, an activist for a group with a long history of seeking to end "state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration." According to Awadeh, illegal immigrants having access to taxpayer-funded healthcare is a right they "deserve." "SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE BORDER IS A LEGAL RIGHT," Awawdeh posted on X in 2022. "ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES FROM VIOLENCE, PERSECUTION, & IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE U.S. HAS A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE REFUGE." NYIC has close ties to and has taken money from the Vera Institute for Justice, a group that received a significant amount of support in the form of contracts from the Biden administration to assist illegal immigrants in avoiding deportations. Additionally, NYIC has taken in $175,000 from the sprawling George Soros nonprofit network. Soros is also tied to another key Mamdani advisor, Patrick Gaspard, who has served in several high-profile political positions, including advising former President Barack Obama's historic 2008 campaign, serving as the Democratic National Committee's executive director, and was tapped as the Center for American Progress (CAP) president in 2021. Gaspard, who Fox News Digital previously reported made millions of dollars serving as president of Soros's Open Society Foundations between 2017 and 2020, has been a staunch defender of Soros, saying earlier this year that he was "inspired by the selection of my friend George Soros, who is one of our leading defenders of inclusive and accountable democracy and vibrant civil society," after then-President Joe Biden announced he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "His accomplishments, in the face of distortions and threats from extremists, will be lauded well into the future," he continued. In a long 2023 X thread, Gaspard also attempted to deflect blame away from Soros amid reports that Soros and his network were pouring millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of radical DAs and far-left groups that emphasized social justice programs and gave lenient sentences to violent criminals. Mamdani has rejected the "communist" label bestowed on him by critics, including laughing off the accusation when confronted by Fox News Digital earlier this year, while at the same time being advised by an activist who doesn't appear to shy away from communists. Housing advocate Cea Weaver, part of Mamdani's reported "brain trust," is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and advises the mayoral hopeful on housing issues, including Mamdani's plan to "freeze" the rent, which has gotten strong pushback from many New Yorkers in the industry. Weaver is also the former coalitions director of Housing Justice for All, a group that counts dozens of radical far-left groups as coalition members, including the Communist Party of the United States of America and the New York Young Communist League. "Elect more Communists," Weaver posted on social media in 2017, New York Post reported. "Seize private property," Weaver posted in 2018. Mamdani has faced heated criticism for his long history of anti-Israel statements and positions dating back to his days writing for his college newspaper and his circle of advisers includes several people who have exhibited the same criticisms. Activist Faiza Ali, another member of Mamdani's reported inner circle, formerly worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group whose executive director, Nihad Awad, stated after Hamas' October 7 attacks that he was happy to see Gazans "breaking the siege" against the "occupying power" of Israel. Awad later said those comments were taken out of context. In addition to her ties to CAIR, a group that GOP Sen. Tom Cotton recently said should lose its nonprofit status due to alleged terror ties, Ali is an acquaintance of and has been photographed with Linda Sarsour, who the two are associated with through the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. Sarsour, a prominent anti-Israel activist who has long been labeled antisemitic, has faced criticism for lauding Farrakhan, objecting to the Jewish right to return to Israel, and even calling for "jihad" against President Trump in 2017. She later claimed she was calling only for nonviolent dissent. Maya Handa, a campaign manager reportedly part of the "growing circle" around Mamdani, was formerly a top adviser to former Dem. Rep. Jamaal Bowman who has a long history of anti-Israel controversy including last year when he defended the phrase "from the river to to the sea", a saying widely interpreted as a call for the elimination of Israel. Mamdani senior adviser Morris Katz, described by the New York Times as being one of two people in Mamdani's "inner circle" and an "emissary" to the Jewish community to counteract skeptical pro-Israel voters, has been critical of Israel on social media. Katz has previously said the existential threat to Israel's existence is "not the Palestinians who're being oppressed and denied basic human rights" but rather Benjamin Netanyahu. Katz also amplified a quote from Mamdani saying that Democrats supporting a ceasefire and an arms embargo are "rightfully outraged over Israel's killing of over 40,000 Palestinians." Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
