| Dear
EarthTalk: I understand there’s an issue
with the herbicide atrazine showing up in dangerous quantities
in drinking water, mostly throughout the central U.S. Why
is this happening and what’s being done about it?
-- Marcus Gerde, Spokane, WA
| |
Because
of its application on crops such as corn, sorghum,
sugar cane and other foods, the chemical atrazine
is the most commonly detected pesticide or herbicide
in U.S. waters, including drinking water supplies.
Atrazine exposure has been shown to impair the reproductive
systems of amphibians and mammals, and has been linked
to cancer in both laboratory animals and humans.
© Getty Images |
Atrazine
is an herbicide that is widely used across the U.S. and
elsewhere to control both broadleaf and grassy weeds in
large-scale agricultural operations growing corn, sorghum,
sugar cane and other foods. While its use is credited with
increasing agricultural yields by as much as six percent,
there is a dark side. The nonprofit Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) reports that atrazine exposure has been shown
to impair the reproductive systems of amphibians and mammals,
and has been linked to cancer in both laboratory animals
and humans. Male frogs exposed to minute doses of atrazine
can develop female sex characteristics, including hermaphroditism
and the presence of eggs in the testes. Researchers suspect
that these effects are amplified when atrazine and other
harmful agricultural chemicals are employed together.
Atrazine’s
wide use makes its impacts that much scarier. NRDC reports
that it is the most commonly detected pesticide or herbicide
in U.S. waters, with the highest levels found in Indiana,
Missouri and Nebraska. The Southeast also faces atrazine
overload issues. What irks many public health advocates
is that, even though study after study implicates atrazine
in a long list of environmental and health problems, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still allows
farms to apply 75 million pounds of it each year. The European
Union banned atrazine in 2004 due to persistent groundwater
pollution there.
Critics
of the EPA accuse the agency of selling out the health of
the American people so industrial agricultural companies
can make big profits. Indeed, in 2003, the EPA estimated
a total annual economic impact, if atrazine were to be banned,
of over $2 billion, including a yield loss plus increased
herbicide cost averaging $28 per acre. In 2006, the EPA
concluded that triazine herbicides (such as atrazine) posed
“no harm that would result to the general U.S. population,
infants, children or other...consumers.”
In
light of the EPA’s refusal to consider a ban on atrazine,
NRDC and other groups have taken up the cause of educating
consumers about the dangers posed by our national addiction
to dangerous herbicides and pesticides, and lobbying elected
officials to add their voices. President Obama has promised
to take a hard look at atrazine, but it remains to be seen
how long it will be before any such review takes place.
Of
course, organic farmers aren’t waiting around for
Obama to ban atrazine. By planting diverse crops, rotating
them regularly and employing other age-old agricultural
techniques, a new generation of American farmers is learning
that expensive chemicals may not be able to boost their
yields enough to warrant the high financial and environmental
costs associated with constant chemical spraying.
As
for you and I, the best way to prevent ingesting atrazine
with our tap water is to buy a water filter that employs
activated charcoal. NRDC publishes a free list of water
filter recommendations on its Simple Steps website. If you’re
on a well, NRDC recommends having its water tested annually
for atrazine and other contaminants. Even bottled water
producers may not filter out atrazine from their source
aquifers, so filtering at the tap is the only way consumers
can be sure to remove it along with other contaminants.
CONTACTS:
NRDC;
Simple
Steps; EPA.
Dear
EarthTalk: I’m told that, despite improvements
in recent years, pesticides in flea collars are still harmful
to pets and humans. Are there ways to minimize fleas without
resorting to chemical concoctions? And is anything being
done to ban these dangerous products from store shelves?
-- Nancy Trouffant, Lancaster, PA
| |
The
Natural Resources Defense Council and other nonprofit
groups convinced the federal government to ban six
chemicals formerly common in flea collars, but two
dangerous pesticides, tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur,
are still used and are unsafe for humans and pets
alike.
© Michael, courtesy Flickr |
Americans spend
some $1 billion each year on products designed to combat
fleas. Many of these products do their jobs handsomely,
but two of the most egregious chemicals widely used in flea
collars, tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur, have been shown
to cause damage to our brains and nervous systems, and are
known human carcinogens. Residues containing these chemicals
can stay on a pet’s fur—and whatever he or she
rubs up against, including your rugs, furniture and children—for
weeks on end.
The Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) found that residue levels produced
by some flea collars are 1,000 times higher than which the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe
for children to be around. Previous campaigning by NRDC
and other nonprofit groups convinced the federal government
to ban six other dangerous pesticides formerly common in
flea collars, but tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur are still
wreaking havoc on the environment and human and pet health.
In light of these dangers, what’s a concerned pet
owner to do? For starters, ditch the collar and buy a flea
comb. NRDC reports on its GreenPaws.org website that regular
combing of a pet can help reduce fleas while allowing owners
to monitor the extent of a given flea problem. Fleas caught
in the comb should be drowned in soapy water. Also, vacuum
frequently to rid your carpets, floors and crevices of fleas
and their eggs. Dispose of any used vacuum bags immediately
so fleas don’t escape and re-infest the room.
In the case of
an extreme infestation, a professional steam carpet cleaning
might be your best bet. As for your pet, frequent soapy
baths are a great way to control fleas. Pet bedding should
also be washed weekly in hot water. Outside of the house—where
your pet romps and frolics—keep your grass and shrubbery
clipped short to increase dryness and sunlight, which inhibits
fleas. Nematodes—all-natural non-chemical biological
agents available at most garden stores—will get rid
of fleas in problem areas outdoors.
Of course, all
this diligent work might still not be enough to keep fleas
at bay, so you may need to turn to products formulated with
essential oils that repel insects but do not harm pets or
people. Be sure to start with small doses and monitor pets
and family for allergic responses. Another non-pesticide
option is S-Methoprene, a so-called Insect Growth Regulator
which halts the growth of chitin, the substance that creates
an insect’s exoskeleton, and won’t harm humans
or pets. S-Methoprene is best used as a tool in preventing
an extended infestation since adult insects are unaffected
by it.
With the federal
government apparently uninterested in banning tetrachlorvinphos
and propoxur from flea products, NRDC is taking the issue
straight to the people. Via its GreenPaws.org website, users
can customize a letter to PETCO and PetSmart, the nation’s
two largest pet supply retailers, asking them to stop selling
products containing such dangerous chemicals. And whether
or not these companies will heed the call may well depend
on consumer behavior, so the more you buy safer alternatives,
the better.
CONTACTS:
U.S.
EPA; NRDC;
GreenPaws.org. |
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