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Atrazine

General Information

• Beyond Pesticides Atrazine ChemWatch Fact Sheet
• Atrazine Product Names
• Chemical Class: Triazine herbicide
• Uses: Agriculture, range grasses under USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, golf courses and residential lawns targets broadleaf and some grassey weeds
• Alternatives: Agriculture Lawns
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health Effects

• EPA Acute Toxicity Class: III (slightly toxic)
• Cancer: Possible (11)
• Endocrine Disruption: Known (5), Yes (36)
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (7)
• Neurotoxicity: Yes (4)
• Kidney/ Liver Damage:Yes (4)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (4)
• Birth/ Developmental Defects: Yes (7)

Environmental Effects

• Detected in Groundwater: Frequently (37)
• Detected in Streams: Frequently (37)
• Potential Leacher: Yes (4)
• Toxic to Birds: Not documented
• Toxic to Fish/ Aquatic Organisms: Yes (8)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented
• Toxic to Mammals: Not documented
• Long-Range Transport: Yes (38)

Additional Information

• Regulatory Information:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (4/2006)
  • Beyond Pesticides' RED comments
• Supporting information:
  • Daily News Blog entries (Beyond Pesticides)
  • Asthma, Children and Pesticides (Beyond Pesticides)
  • NCAP Atrazine Fact Sheet (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides)
  • Children & Lawn Chemicals Don't Mix (Beyond Pesticides)
  • The Safer Choice (Beyond Pesticides)
  • PAN Pesticides Database: Atrazine (Pesticide Action Network)
• Key Studies and Articles:
  • Pesticide Mixtures, Endocrine Disruption, and Amphibian Declines: Are We Underestimating the Impact? Hayes et. al 2006. Environmental Health Perspectives.
  • Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass. The New York Times, 2009.
  • Agrichemicals in surface water and birth defects in the United States. Winchester, et al. April 2009.