In Defense of Atrazine

The popular corn herbicide The popular corn herbicide Atrazine has been used safely by farmers for 50 years now, but it is facing renewed attacks by environmental activists. The Natural Resources Defense Council has formally requested that the EPA cancel atrazine's registration and revoke all atrazine tolerance levels, which is bringing corn growers to its defense.



Last week, growers met with Syngenta Crop Protection officials about the challenges being faced by atrazine. A roundtable meeting was held at the National Corn Growers Association office, followed by another meeting at the farm of Missouri Corn Growers Association President Keith Witt in Warrenton, Mo. "The science shows atrazine is safe," Witt said. "We will continue to fight the environmental activists' misguided agenda. If they are at successful at this, what's next? Aspirin?"



We can probably thank the New York Times August story "Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass?" for scaring up new fears about this very safe and affordable herbicide. Read this great commentary by Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan is president of the American Council on Science and Health addressing the NYT article.



Here's a quote from Dr. Whelan - "How much "weed killer" in your water is safe? Well, how much arsenic in your natural baked potato is safe? (Arsenic occurs naturally in potatoes.) The mere ability to detect a chemical in a substance - in food, air, water, consumer products, or even human tissue - does not signal that there is a public health hazard."



She also notes, "You would drown from drinking the huge amounts of water needed for you to be affected by trace levels of atrazine in any American water supply." She calls the whole atrazine issue a "bogus risk" that is part of a general wave of "chemophobia" - scaring people about "chemicals" in their air, food, water, and consumer products.

It just means farmers have to fight harder than ever to keep the tools they need to feed the world.



Additional Resources:

Atrazine in drinking water facts

Sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association, Corn Commentary provides a lighter look at corn, agriculture and herbicides, including atrazine. Cindy Zimmerman (ZimmComm New Media) is an award-winning agricultural communications specialist who contributes to Corn Commentary. Atrazine in drinking water facts also provides additional information.