EPA Ignores Science on Atrazine

A recent draft ecologic risk assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency greatly differs from decades of research on the most-reviewed herbicide on the market today, atrazine. The EPA draft reverses EPA research from just four years ago, and claims atrazine is suddenly harmful and poses potential chronic risk to fish, animals and plants.

Ethan Mathews, public policy director for the National Corn Growers Association, says

Mathews: "The report that they issued is concerning to us because it is far more conservative than anything we've ever seen before or anything that the science justifies. We caught wind that they were likely going to be pursuing this. A month ago they inadvertently posted briefly this leaked report and it was as bad as we feared. But again there is no real scientific justification for them to be pursuing this and that is why we are so concerned."

 

Mathews says more than 7,000 studies and 50 years of use have proven that the use of atrazine is safe.

Mathews: "The thing about atrazine is that is is the most widely reviewed crop protection product that farmers depend on. So it is very curious when they come out with smooth so different then the overwhelming body of science on this. It just goes to show that there is a political agenda that is driving the train here when it comes to atrazine. They cherry picked a study that would justify this very conservative level of exposure."

 

The draft assessment is now subject to a 60 day public comment period which started two weeks ago. Mathews says farmers need to tell the EPA the importance and safety of atrazine. Learn more or comment on the draft assessment at www.NCGA.com/atz.