Atrazine in Our Drinking Water; Occupy EPA's Email Account!

Here's the latest action alert from Pesticide Action Network (PAN), dealing with the herbicide atrazine, which is rampant in our drinking water. Let the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) know that you are not happy with how it is handling its review of atrazine; this can be our little (online) occupation!

"When 10 studies in 25 are protected from public scrutiny and the rigors of peer review, and those studies are industry-funded, we have reason for concern. Yet that is exactly the situation we had with the most recent round of EPA’s atrazine review: of the 25 studies addressing human health risks (cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruption...) submitted for review, 10 were secret because corporate.

"Urge EPA to discount and disclose the corporate science backing atrazine» For over a year now we’ve been watching the Agency’s long-overdue review of atrazine. Now EPA is accepting comments on a new petition to pull the use of atrazine, pointing to misleading industry-funded science that has kept this common herbicide on the market.

"Here’s the deal. An independent scientist took a look at industry-funded reviews of the effects of atrazine on fish and frogs, and found this:

"'[The] industry-funded review misrepresented more than 50 studies and included 122 inaccurate and 22 misleading statements. Of these inaccurate and misleading statements, 96.5% seem to benefit the makers of atrazine in that they support the safety of the chemical.'

"Syngenta has shown time and again that they are serious and unscrupulous in their commitment to protect atrazine’s market share in the U.S. at all costs. Last time the Agency reviewed atrazine, they kept it on the market even as Europe banned it because it’s a water contaminant. Not incidentally, atrazine’s maker, Syngenta, lobbied EPA with over 50 closed door meetings in the run-up to that decision.

"Now, 94% our drinking water is contaminated with a chemical known to have endocrine disrupting effects at extraordinarily low exposure levels.

"We have until Nov 14th to tell EPA “not this time!”» Over the next two weeks we have an opportunity to send a clear message. We want any and all decisions on atrazine to be based on transparent, independent science, and we want decisions to be undertaken in the public interest."

Click here to let the EPA know what you think.