Atrazine is an herbicide used in agriculture. It has a lot of adverse effects on health such as tumors, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers as well as leukemia and lymphoma. It’s also an endocrine-disrupting chemical, interrupting regular hormone function and causing birth defects, reproductive tumors, and weight loss in amphibians as well as humans (Pathak & Dikshit, 2011. Int J of Ecosys 1:14-23).
I encourage Popular Rationalists to get behind EWG’s petition to stave off the gaggle of politicians working to keep atrazine in our food supply. They are looking for 15,000 signatures - that’s us!
Here’s EWG’s pitch:
“The EPA has opened a comment period asking the public to weigh in on endocrine-disrupting atrazine. But the pesticide industry and 92 members of Congress are pushing the agency to give Big Ag the green light to keep recklessly spraying this hazardous pesticide.
EWG is fighting to BAN hormone-disrupting pesticides like atrazine for good. Can we count on you to join us?
We've made it easier than ever to take action on the issues that matter to you most. If you've saved your information with FastAction, clicking this button will automatically add your name to our petition.
Right now, more than 43 million Americans are in danger of drinking water contaminated with atrazine. This toxic pesticide has been linked to serious health risks like cancer, hormone disruption and harm to the developing fetus. It is such a potent endocrine disruptor, it can change frogs' reproductive organs!
Despite being banned in Europe, atrazine remains one of the most widely used pesticides in the U.S., with more than 70 million pounds applied annually. It's outrageous!
We need a tidal wave of more than 50,000 comments to combat Big Ag's relentless lobbying. But the EPA's comment period closes on October 7, so we don't have much time.
Reminder: There are only two days left to enroll in Environmental Toxicology @ IPAK-EDU for the Fall term. Click on the image to register!
Done!
Thank you for the heads-up!