Scientific evidence is at the heart of atrazine debate
From High Plains/Midwest AG Journal:
…Activist concerns
Despite the 50 years of research and economical importance of this product, however, the EPA announced in October of last year it will hold four new Science Advisory Panels to yet again review the safety of atrazine. This came after a July 2009 update from EPA that stated, “Through its review of this data, the Agency has confirmed that none of the systems have exceeded OPP’s level of concern, a 90-day average of 37.5 parts per billion of atrazine and its degredates. Concentrations below this 90-day average are considered to be safe.”
Why would an agency that supported continued use of atrazine in summer of 2009 suddenly change its mind and ask for more research? According to Jere White, executive director of the , the answer lies in articles that appeared in the New York Times and the Huffington Post in August 2009.
“EPA acknowledges their actions were driven by activist-seeded articles in the New York Times and Huffington Post,” White said. The stories used data from the Atrazine Monitoring Program and EPA’s own maximum contaminant level testing, which were provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council. White said these two different numbers confuse consumers…
Please click here to read this article in full at hpj.com. 
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