ID:

460

Date:

2009-08-22

Headline:

Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass

Reporter's name:

Charles Duhigg

Delay/denial:

No

Lawsuit:

No

Fees:

No

Media outlet:

The New York Times

City:

New York, NY

Summary:

Recent data and research show that atrazine, a popular weed-killing chemical, makes its way into public water at levels that fluctuate more widely than either federal or local authorities had previously understood or reported, fueling concerns that current regulations provide insufficient public-health protection. In particular, say some scientists and health advocates, short-lived spikes in exposure have a greater capacity to alter fetal and juvenile development than regulators had realized. The New York Times reported that an environmental advocacy group used FOIA to obtain data about concentration levels of the herbicide, which is especially common in the central United States.

Keywords:

atrazine, water, drinking water, groundwater, weed-killer, EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, Syngenta, chemical, AAtrex, Safe Drinking Water Act, SDWA, pregnancy, birth defect, fetus,

URL:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/us/23water.html

Agencies:

EPA
GAO
HHS

States:

IA
IL
IN
KS
MS
OH

Categories:

agriculture
drinking water
environment
public health