Pesticides

Paraguay’s soy bonanza leaves small farmers in the cold

The tiny landlocked South American country of Paraguay is one of the top soy producers on the planet. Soy is the country’s top export and it accounts for a major chunk of the country’s gross domestic product. But the soy explosion has wreaked havoc on Paraguay’s ecosystem and been a disaster for many small farmers whose farms have been inundated with pesticides from neighboring soy plantations.

A "Water Pickup" sign points to a bottled water distribution center in Flint, Michigan in January. In an effort to save money, state officials running Flint's affairs implemented changes to the city's water system that resulted in widespread lead contamin

This is your brain on lead, and lots of other nasty pollutants

Environment
A baby born with microcephaly reacts to stimulus during an evaluation session with a physiotherapist at the Altino Ventura rehabilitation center in Recife, Brazil on January 28, 2016.

We’re not sure if Zika is causing all those microcephaly cases. But there’s no evidence it’s pesticides.

Health