Must-read recap: The New Lede's top stories over the last week

Bayer seeks escape from Roundup litigation, Syngenta paraquat litigation drags on and much more.

Last week, The New Lede covered a battle playing out in an obscure Missouri courtroom that could prove pivotal as Bayer executives indicate they may be ready to give up the fight over the weed killer Roundup. In other news, Parkinson’s sufferers are dying before they get to have their day in court as litigation drags on with the pesticide maker Syngenta. Meanwhile, a federal judged has dismissed an Iowa challenge to wetlands protections and a new study suggests air pollution triggers preterm births by messing up pregnant women’s metabolism.

This week, we’ll publish an investigation on the toxic legacy of a class of long-banned chemicals. TNL will also be on the ground in Iowa, shadowing researchers as they delve into unusually high rates of cancer across the farm state and suspected links to agricultural chemicals.

Here’s the latest from The New Lede:

Air pollution messes up pregnant women’s metabolism, spurs preterm births

Researchers have long warned that tiny air pollutants — 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair — are linked to preterm births. Now they’re one step closer to knowing why: Breathing in these tiny particles — largely caused by traffic, industry, burning fossil fuels and wildfire smoke — disrupts the molecules in pregnant women’s blood, raising the risk for preterm and early births, according to a new study from Emory University. (Read the rest of the story.)

Dying before their day in court — Syngenta paraquat litigation drags on as Parkinson’s victims suffer

In the nationwide legal battle between pesticide maker Syngenta and thousands of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease that they blame on exposure to paraquat weed killer, plaintiffs are dying faster than they can get to trial, according to a court filing made last week by lawyers frustrated by repeated delays in the cases. (Read the rest of the story.)

Swampbuster stands: Federal judge dismisses Iowa challenge to wetlands protections’

A federal judge has sided with environmental groups and US regulators in a dispute with an Iowa landowner over a Farm Bill provision that protects wetlands. The move to uphold the “Swampbuster” rule marks a victory for family farmers, wetlands and water quality across the country, said environmental and sustainable agriculture groups that intervened in the case. (Read the rest of the story.)

“On the ropes,” Bayer seeks escape from costly Roundup litigation

The scene now playing out in an obscure Missouri courtroom is one observed many times before: A veteran Monsanto scientist is spending long days on a witness stand, defending the company and its Germany-based owner Bayer against allegations that the agrochemical company’s popular Roundup weed killer causes cancer. While the Missouri trial itself is not especially remarkable, the outcome of this latest courtroom battle could prove pivotal. Bayer executives have been warning in recent weeks that after losing billions of dollars to Roundup case settlements and jury awards, they may be ready to give up the fight. (Read the rest of the story.)

Postcard from California: After the fires, is LA safe from buried toxic hazards? Don’t ask FEMA

In the wake of fires that in January burned more than 16,000 homes, schools and businesses in Los Angeles County, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has repeatedly refused to fund sampling and testing to confirm safety. (Read the rest of the opinion column.)

(Top image by D. Jameson RAGE on Unsplash.)