Atrazine Science

Don’t take our word for it, science spoken here.

With more than 6,000 studies on file, atrazine is one of the most comprehensively scrutinized and used herbicides.  A sampling of the more recent peer reviewed, published, independent and transparent scientific studies of atrazine includes:

• 2011 Agriculture Health Study, National Institutes of Health (specifically the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) and the Environmental Protection Agency, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found no link between atrazine and cancer overall among pesticide applicators.
• 2011 Australian government report, found no evidence to support claims that atrazine causes the birth defect gastroschisis.
• 2010 World Health Organization report shows safety of atrazine with new standard in drinking water.

The soundness of a scientific study hinges on its transparency and reproducibility.  Do its procedures and results stand up to review by scientific peers and regulatory agencies?  Can the study be reproduced with the same findings?  This approach safeguards the scientific community, regulators, industry and the public from questionable results.

In testimony before the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives (February 16, 2005),  Anne E. Lindsay, former deputy director, Office of Pesticide Programs, US Environmental Protection Agency, detailed the elaborate and meticulous scientific process required for pesticide registration.

Deputy director Lindsay described at length the painstaking process EPA followed before recommending the re-registration of atrazine for use in American agriculture.   She noted that EPA “reaches its conclusions through a systematic, objective evaluation of all relevant information.  She noted that each step of the process uses scientifically peer-reviewed, documented procedures.” [emphasis added]

Lindsay testified that EPA looks “closely at every study to determine whether the results are scientifically sound,” and that it insists on record retention and full data reporting.  She stated that to review these studies, EPA follows “published, peer-reviewed Standard Evaluation Procedures.” [emphasis added]

Despite EPA’s diligent investigative process, a legal and political attack has been launched against atrazine, relying on a handful of studies which, by objective scientific standards, offer questionable conclusions.

For the latest information on atrazine science visit Atrazine.com.