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In betrayal of MAHA, House GOP farm bill exposes kids to pesticides Monica Amarelo February 13, 2026 WASHINGTON – House Republicans’ newly released farm bill proposal would undermine public health, environmental protection and food security, while handing sweeping new protections to pesticide manufacturers at the expense of children and communities. The proposal fails to restore the deep cuts to SNAP, the  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, that Republicans and the Trump administration pushed through last year. The cuts threaten food access for millions of struggling families. House Republicans also included an alarming and controversial provision that would erase state and local pesticide safety laws that protect people, especially children, from exposure to toxic chemicals at schools, playgrounds and parks. More than 40 states, including Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina  and Texas, have adopted commonsense rules governing when and how pesticides can be sprayed near parks, playgrounds and schools. These safeguards reflect local conditions, public health science, and the voices of parents, educators and communities.  The House Republican proposal would wipe out those protections nationwide. This move to block state and local authority is being pushed by foreign pesticide manufacturers, including Bayer-Monsanto and ChemChina. If enacted, this partisan bill would boost pesticide sales while limiting accountability when people are harmed from exposure to toxic crop chemicals. The following is a statement from Geoff Horsfield, legislative director at the Environmental Working Group. House Republicans can’t credibly claim to back an agenda that supports public health or protects kids while advancing a bill that weakens protections from pesticides and hands more power and profits to foreign pesticide manufacturers. Congress should not be in the business of stripping states of their right to protect children from toxic chemicals. This provision would silence parents, override local decision-making, and put corporate profits ahead of kids’ health. No parent should have to wonder whether the school playground is contaminated with pesticides. Yet that is exactly what this bill would force families to do. Rather than weakening protections for children, gutting conservation programs and denying nutrition assistance to hungry families, Congress should be strengthening safeguards that support public health, environmental sustainability and rural communities.### The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.  Areas of Focus Food & Water Food Farming & Agriculture Food & Farm Workers Farm Subsidies Children’s Health Pesticides Press Contact Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org (202) 667-6982 February 13, 2026

Winckler focuses on the history and causes of past, present and future climate variability, as well as the ocean’s role in the climate system and the carbon cycle.

At EPA and FDA, Zeldin and RFK Jr. celebrate a year in office – while public health suffers Anthony Lacey February 13, 2026 Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky – and for Americans’ health, it may be just that. That’s because it will mark the anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s swearing-in as health secretary. It also marks a year of inaction and missteps on food chemicals and actively downplaying safety and effectiveness of vaccines – while the U.S. sees outbreaks of infectious diseases like measles.Here’s another grim milestone: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on January 30 reached the first-year mark on his work dismantling the agency and effectively removing “protection” from its title. Recent actions by this Laurel and Hardy of public health and environmental policy underscore just how disastrous their tenure has become. Despite the administration’s stated “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, agenda, their actions will likely make people sicker for years to come.Agencies' actions aren't MAHAThe EPA is clearing the path to approve or reapprove toxic pesticides. It’s doing this while dragging its feet on reviewing the safety of agricultural chemicals, including paraquat, which is linked to a greater risk of Parkinson’s disease.At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration is slow-walking efforts to tackle harmful food chemicals. It’s letting the food industry voluntarily make unenforceable promises to switch to less harmful ingredients. The FDA is slow-walking plans to tighten safety reviews of ingredients in the American food supply. And the administration’s MAHA report, coordinated by RFK Jr., retreated from earlier promises to ban toxic agricultural chemicals.Both agencies are also hollowing out the oversight roles they were created to fill. The FDA now says it will take food and drink manufacturers at their word when they claim to not use artificial colors in their products. Meanwhile, the EPA’s enforcement against polluters has dramatically slumped, and the agency has gutted its research office.Add it all up and the picture is clear: President Donald Trump and his team aren’t MAHA. Their policy decisions will almost certainly harm the public’s health and damage the environment.EPA weakens protectionsAt the EPA, the fox doesn’t just guard the hen house. Under Trump, the fox has taken up residence in a swanky office in the hen house – one the first Trump EPA chief fitted with a $43,000 private phone booth.Under Zeldin, the agency makes it a priority to give the chemical industry exactly what it wants, when it wants it. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent fast-tracking of pesticide renewals and approvals – even when abundant scientific research raises concerns about health harms from exposure to these substances.Earlier this month, the EPA reapproved the toxic weedkiller dicamba. Some studies show exposure to the chemical could increase the risk of cancer in pesticide applicators and cause nervous system damage after accidental ingestion. But the agency justified its decision by saying its analysis shows dicamba does not pose an unreasonable risk to health and the environment when it’s used as instructed.Paraquat is another agricultural chemical for which the EPA is ignoring the science. Banned in more than 70 countries, the weedkiller has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, childhood leukemia and more. In the absence of federal action, at least nine states are weighing bills to ban use of paraquat either near schools or statewide.In December, the agency approved new pesticides made with the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, and concerns exist about their persistence. Very low doses of PFAS in drinking water have been linked to suppression of the immune system and an elevated risk of cancer, increased cholesterol, and reproductive and developmental harms, among other major health concerns.EWG revealed in a recent report that California agricultural fields are sprayed with an average of 2.5 million pounds of PFAS pesticides per year. This widespread use could be contaminating soil, water and produce sold throughout the U.S., exposing millions to potential health harms.Most recently, Zeldin repealed the EPA’s landmark finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare – the bedrock document underpinning earlier administrations’ ambitious rules to tackle the climate crisis.Zeldin has claimed he’s working on a MAHA plan for EPA – an effort that appears to have stalled. And some in the MAHA movement have offered support for Zeldin. MAGA Action President Tony Lyons told E&E News, “We have a MAHA head of the EPA now.”But none of the existing EPA actions will make America healthy again.Even some officials within the agency agree Zeldin’s agenda isn’t concerned with the MAHA movement. “MAHA should never feel optimistic when it comes to EPA. That’s not a secret,” one anonymous senior agency official recently told E&E News.If there’s any doubt about the official’s remark, look to the Trump Department of Justice siding with agricultural chemical manufacturer Bayer in a key Supreme Court case. The justices will hear argument April 27 in the case, where Bayer – which purchased glyphosate maker Monsanto – is seeking a ruling that would effectively quash lawsuits from people claiming the chemicals caused them to develop cancer.As EWG President and co-Founder Ken Cook noted in a LinkedIn post, “Hard to imagine a more intentional MAGA knife in MAHA's back than DOJ siding with Bayer/Mosanto, the company Kennedy sued, in order to stop all such future litigation.”FDA is failing on food safetyThe news coming out of the FDA is just as bad. Without safeguards on how our food is grown, public health is already at risk. The FDA worsens the problem through inadequate oversight of how food is processed and sold.Most recently, the FDA said this week it is launching a review of the safety of the food and cosmetics chemical butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA. This substance stabilizes flavors, extends shelf life and enhances color in a wide range of products, from Quaker Oats and Cap’n Crunch cereals to Estée Lauder moisturizing serums.Since 1958, the FDA has categorized BHA as “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, for use in food. But BHA is associated with potential health risks, especially when consumed or applied in high doses. Prolonged exposure has been linked to health harms like reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption and cancer.In 1990, a doctor filed a petition asking the FDA to ban the use of the additive BHA in food – and they’re still waiting for a response. In the meantime, West Virginia has banned BHA. The FDA’s review could mean a long wait before it decides whether the chemical is safe. Until then, many Americans will continue to be exposed to BHA’s harms through food and drink.The FDA is also working to update its GRAS policy. For decades, the FDA has allowed chemical companies to decide whether most food chemicals are safe. EWG recently found nearly 99% of food chemicals developed since 2000 were reviewed for safety by industry scientists, not the FDA. In the rare instances when the FDA reviews chemicals for safety before they enter the market, the agency often does not review prior decisions, in some cases even decades old, even in light of new research. A Department of Health and Human Services announcement last year about review of the GRAS system falls short of what’s needed. It simply pledges to “take steps to explore” changing a system that has been broken for more than 60 years. But that’s not the change consumers rightly expect. And the rule is stuck in White House review limbo.The FDA should take real action to put itself in charge of food chemical safety. Until then, its announcement is best seen as a “plan to plan,” not real progress toward greater food safety. Less oversightDuring the second Trump administration, both the EPA and the FDA have been gutted by workforce cuts, leaving even fewer officials to give industries the oversight they so clearly need.If Kennedy and Zeldin truly believe in MAHA, they’ll reverse course and aggressively pursue regulations that get the most harmful chemicals out of our food system.Will they? Just like Friday the 13th, a bet on that could be unlucky. Areas of Focus Food & Water Ultra-Processed Foods Farming & Agriculture Farm Pollution Family Health Women's Health Children’s Health Toxic Chemicals Chemical Policy Chlormequat Paraquat Pesticides PFAS Chemicals Authors Anthony Lacey February 13, 2026

These Olympics are first to feature a ban on ‘forever chemicals’ in ski and snowboard wax Monica Amarelo February 12, 2026 For decades, elite skiers and snowboarders chased medals with the help of high-performance wax made with the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. Winter sports enthusiasts usually slicked fluorinated, or “fluoro,” wax on the bottom of their equipment. The wax gave athletes a powerful advantage, especially in wet snow, and delivered what some described as “ridiculous” speed, not to mention potential harm to people and the environment. Fluorine indicates the likely presence of PFAS. But that era is over.For the first time in Olympic history, the games will be completely free of toxic, fluorinated ski waxes. The shift follows a total ban by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, which took effect during the 2023-2024 season. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games will serve as the ban’s highest-profile test yet. These Olympics mark a turning point for athlete safety, environmental protection and the global effort to phase out toxic forever chemicals. How the ban worksIn 2019, the federation announced plans to ban fluorinated waxes. But enforcement required reliable ways to detect fluorine on race skis, a process that took several seasons to perfect.In 2023, the International Biathlon Union also banned ski preparation products containing fluoro chemicals. Top-tier events, including the World Cup and World Championships, began to conduct mandatory PFAS tests. Random tests were also introduced at lower-level competitions to ensure the rule applied across the sport, not just on its biggest stages.Officials are enforcing the rule at these Olympics, ensuring they take place on a level, fluorine-free playing field. Every pair of skis competing at the Olympics will be tested for the presence of fluorine. Athletes can be disqualified if random checks for fluorinated compounds detect them.In fact, two Olympic skiers, Han Dasom and Lee Eui-jin of South Korea, were banned from these games after tests found PFAS on their skis. Why were PFAS used in ski wax?At the highest levels of competition, even just a few fractions of a second can mean the difference between earning the gold and going home empty-handed. That’s why, since the 1980s, elite skiers and snowboarders have turned to these types of waxes.PFAS repel water and reduce friction, allowing skis and snowboards to glide more quickly, particularly in wet snow and slush. In events where glide can determine who reaches the podium, that water-shedding power translated into a measurable competitive advantage.Over time, manufacturers developed more concentrated forms of PFAS to boost the speed advantage. But the performance jump came at a steep cost.Application of fluoro wax requires heat, and technicians often worked in dedicated enclosed cabins where fumes could build up. Those technicians, many of whom worked daily with the products, faced some of the highest exposures, inhaling vaporized PFAS season after season of working with the contaminated wax. As evidence mounted about the chemicals’ health and environmental harms, the competitive edge they provided became harder to justify. These concerns paved the way for the ban.Environmental contamination from ski wax The environmental impact is also significant. With use, wax continuously wears off equipment, shedding tiny particles into the snow. Studies measuring PFAS in melted snow, nearby soil and aquifers and surface water after ski competitions have found strikingly high concentrations of these toxic “forever chemicals.”PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or in our bodies. But contamination doesn’t stay on the mountain. PFAS from decades of fluorinated wax use can persist in alpine ecosystems, leaching into waterways and moving through food chains, affecting wildlife and downstream communities for decades.The health risks of PFAS exposureAs the science became clearer, so did the stakes. Was a marginal gain in speed worth exposing elite athletes, technicians and communities to chemicals that can cause long-term health issues?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected PFAS in the blood of 99% of Americans, including newborn babies.Very low doses of PFAS have been linked to suppression of the immune system. Studies show exposure to PFAS can also increase the risk of cancer, harm fetal development and reduce vaccine effectiveness, among other serious health concerns.What this means for consumersConsumers shouldn’t have to bear the burden of protecting themselves from toxic chemicals. That is the responsibility of federal regulators. But until laws catch up with the science, informed choices protect both your personal health and the winter environment you love.Ski wax is just one item on a long list of products historically treated with these chemicals. Many states, like Maine and Minnesota, are banning PFAS in consumer products, but the chemicals can still be found in certain foods and in soil, as well as some sources of drinking water, nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, personal care products, textiles and many others.In April 2024, EWG President Ken Cook spoke with Peter Arlein, a former ski-shop wax technician who decided to take matters into his own hands. He founded the Colorado-based company mountainFLOW, which produces ski wax and bicycle lubricants without PFAS. You can listen to that episode here.If you ski or snowboard recreationally, you can enjoy the snow without the toxic footprint. PFAS-free wax is now widely available and highly effective.Ask before you wax. If you get your equipment professionally serviced, ask your local shop what type of wax they use. Many shops have already pivoted to PFAS-free alternatives, and some manufacturers have stopped producing fluorinated wax entirely.Check the label. If you apply wax yourself, look for products labeled PFAS-free or fluoro-free. Companies like Colorado-based mountainFLOW have pioneered high-performance wax made without toxic chemicals.Safety first. When applying any wax at home, work in a well-ventilated area. Even with safer PFAS-free alternatives, it is a good practice to wear a mask during the heating and scraping process to avoid inhaling fine particles. Areas of Focus Toxic Chemicals PFAS Chemicals Here’s why it’s relevant beyond the slopes Authors Monica Amarelo February 12, 2026

Arellano uses geochemical analyses to reconstruct deep ocean circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean.