Public Hearings on Popular Pesticide Spotlight Safety Concerns
June 22, 2012
Responding to pressure from environmental groups and the requirements of regulators, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a scientific advisory panel have held public hearings on the risks of atrazine, an agricultural pesticide. It's the most commonly used farm chemical in the U.S. and 90 other countries. Atrazine has been banned by the European Union since 2004, and some studies suggest it may be harmful to human health and the environment.
Every year, U.S. farmers apply more than 35 million kilograms of the pesticide atrazine on their fields of corn, sugarcane, sorghum and other crops.
But a growing body of scientific evidence - including the discovery of small amounts of atrazine in many US waterways - have raised new concerns about its safety.
Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, convened a scientific advisory panel and held public hearings to review the impact of atrazine on humans and the environment.
"There is probably agreement among everyone that, at a high enough exposure, at a high enough dose, atrazine can cause effects," said Steven Bradbury, the EPA's director of pesticide programs.
During four days of hearings, scientists and activists offered conflicting views on the safety of atrazine.
Kerry Kriger heads Save the Frogs, an environmental group.
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