Atrazine-science under siege

Atrazine. It's in our lakes, streams and drinking water at levels that make a difference to human health. Scientists link exposure to increased risk of birth defects, infertility and possibly cancer.

Who's responsible? The Syngenta corporation — the world's largest pesticide company. They're working overtime to promote and protect their flagship product in the U.S., despite the fact that it's long been banned in their home county of Switzerland. Syngenta has intimidated scientists, pressured regulators and paid an economist to manufacture faulty studies — all to keep an unnecessary product on the market.

Contaminating U.S. waterways

Atrazine is found more often than any other pesticide in U.S. groundwater. The weed killer is one of the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. — and the world. More than 76 million pounds are used in this country each year, mostly on corn fields. Smaller amounts are used on other crops too, from sugarcane to cauliflower to Christmas trees.

Atrazine is good at killing weeds in part because of its stability; it can stick around for up to 100 days in the soil. This also makes it a pollution problem. Once it leaches into groundwater, it can remain there for decades.

Families in the Midwest who get their drinking water from shallow wells are especially vulnerable.

Found in water throughout the Midwest, atrazine shows up in wells in agricultural communities and in pristine lakes and rivers. Drinking water contamination levels typically spike in spring and early summer, as rains flush the freshly applied herbicide. One recent study shows that atrazine also evaporates into the air after application, in a process called volatilization drift. It can then settle back into waterways.

USDA scientists found the herbicide in 94% of the drinking water tested in 2008.

Health effects in the heartland

Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor. This means that micro-doses can have large, irreversible effects that we are just beginning to understand. New studies link low-level exposure to birth defects, delayed puberty and infertility — all of which are on the rise. Higher cancer risk and environmental toxicity are also of concern.

Birth Defects: Infants concieved during atrazine spray season are more likely to be born with birth defects. Research shows that even low levels of exposure during pregnancy may be problematic; the third trimester appears to be most critical.

Infertility: Documented reproductive harms include male infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, and low infant birth weight.

Cancer: Atrazine may increase risk of breast and prostate cancer. Though some studies have not found a link, the recent President's Cancel Panel Report calls atrazine a possible carcinogen.

Scientists report that for atrazine, timing of exposure may be more important than exposure levels, and interaction with other pesticides may make health harms more severe.

Evidence of environmental effects is also strong and growing. Recent studies show that atrazine causes genetically male frogs to become anatomically female through a "chemical castration" effect.

More at the link