Share this post:. Pesticide Action Network's blog Log in or register to post comments Comments. And surely the distinction matters. It's crucial to understand herbicide use if you hope to understand the issues around GMO crops. And referring, incorrectly, to an herbicide as a pesticide merely muddies the waters. While "pesticide" does refer to a chemical compound designed to kill animal pests like insects, the term is also used more broadly to encompass chemical compounds that kill all kinds of pests, including weeds, fungi, and rodents.
So "herbicide," "fungicide," and "rodenticide" actually all fall under the umbrella term "pesticide. Certain products can be used on corn, sorghum, sugarcane, macadamia nuts, guava, or wheat stubble after harvest.
Always remember to read the label for your product's use sites and instructions. See the text box about technical grade atrazine. Technical Grade Atrazine: This fact sheet refers to the technical grade, or "pure" atrazine only.
Products you buy from the store include other ingredients as well. While many of the chemicals used as other ingredients may not pose health or environmental risks, some of them can be toxic. In some cases, the other ingredients can pose greater risks than the active ingredient itself. Atrazine interferes with photosynthesis in some broadleaf plants and grasses. Older leaves on plants may be affected more than new leaves.
Root growth is not affected by atrazine. What is a tolerance? The EPA sets legal limits for how much pesticide is allowed in food and drinking water. In food, those limits are called " tolerances.
The amount allowed in water is specifically regulated for some pesticides. Health advisories are issued for others. You could be exposed to atrazine while using a product or being too close to an application.
You could get atrazine on your skin, eyes, or breathe it in. Very low levels of atrazine may be found in food and drinking water.
Tolerances are legal limits set by the U. See the text box about tolerances. Always follow label instructions and take steps to minimize exposure. If any exposures occur, be sure to follow the First Aid instructions on the product label carefully. For additional treatment advice, contact the Poison Control Center at If you wish to discuss a pesticide problem , please call NPIC at Atrazine is very low in toxicity if breathed in.
Skin exposure to atrazine may cause mild irritation, redness, or swelling. It is not considered a skin sensitizer. This means that allergic reactions after multiple exposures are not likely. If atrazine is eaten, it is low in toxicity.
This can tell us how toxic a chemical is. Something that is highly toxic may kill a person with a very small amount of chemical. If something is very low in toxicity, it may take much more for that same person to become very sick or die. When rats ate enough atrazine to almost kill them, they had increased activity followed by slowing, incoordination, and muscle spasms. Atrazine does not easily pass through the skin. In a study with monkeys, atrazine was highest in blood plasma within 1 hour.
The plasma half-life was 4 hours. Metabolites of atrazine had half-lives of 2. It is excreted in the urine and feces. Urinary excretion of atrazine peaked days after exposure. Atrazine does not alter or damage genes in humans and animals. However, these tumors were not considered relevant to humans by a scientific advisory panel. This was because of differences in rat and human female reproductive systems. They also lost weight and had difficulty moving.
They also had enlarged hearts with fluid inside the heart's membrane. This started when they were 8 weeks old. After 3 months, half the rats in each group were then fed a high-fat diet instead of regular rat chow. Rats who drank the treated water used less energy when they were sitting still. They also gained weight and became insulin resistant. This happened even though their food intake and activity level did not change.
The high-fat diet made the weight gain and insulin resistance worse. They lost more pregnancies than rabbits who did not get atrazine. The rabbit litters had fewer and smaller babies. Discount will be applied automatically at checkout. Your account has been created successfully, and a confirmation email is on the way. Most Popular in Environment As nuclear waste piles up, scientists seek the best long-term storage solutions Industrial ammonia production emits more CO 2 than any other chemical-making reaction.
How will they do it? The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to renew approval of the herbicide atrazine, with a few modifications.
The agency claims that the changes will reduce exposure to the chemical, which has been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity in aquatic organisms and people. Environmental groups, however, argue that the proposed changes will weaken protections for aquatic organisms and human children. Atrazine is a chlorotriazine herbicide widely used on corn, sorghum, and sugarcane in the US to control grasses and broadleaf weeds. The EPA concluded in a draft assessment in that the pesticide poses reproductive risks to aquatic plants, fish, amphibians, mammals, birds, and reptiles.
In a draft assessment , the agency concluded that cumulative exposure to atrazine from food, drinking water, and residential uses poses reproductive and developmental risks to humans, particularly children. Contact us to opt out anytime. To mitigate the risks to humans, the EPA proposes mandatory spray drift controls and a reduction in the amount of atrazine that can be applied to residential lawns and turf. Environmental groups say that will not be enough to protect children.
Instead, they are urging the EPA to ban all residential uses of atrazine. In contrast, farm groups welcome the proposed changes. Contact the reporter.
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