When I decided to get the best rated water filter pitcher (1) I also decided that I wanted to know; literally know What may be in my water, that the filter can remove. I am a skeptic by nature and want to know if the stuff I am being protected from is a real issue and danger or just "marketing". Atrazine is next on my list and the filter comparison chart says that it is an agricultural pollutant.
To me that is a broad category, so I wanted to learn more - why is it used? what does it do? and what could it do to me?
Step one is to produce a better definition; so I went to google and asked it to define the word.
Some of the first things that jumped out at me were:
- a artificial mixture derived from triazine that is widely used as an agricultural herbicide; "atrazine is notion to cause cancer and is banned in some European countries (2)
- an herbicide widely used on a variety of crops, notably maize, sorghum and sugarcane, for the pre- and post-emergent control of broad-leaved weeds (3)
There were other notes from other sources, but these sources are both well respected and I felt good about beginning with them.
Then I found out at the Epa site it is in fact used for agricultural (corn, sugarcane, sorghum and other crops together with hay and winter wheat) and also for Non agricultural crops. Some of those uses are for golf courses (think turf), residential lawns, scenery maintenance, attractive trees, range land and forests; Christmas tree farms, and more.
So now I am reasoning wow, my neighbor that can not even get his trash out on the right day, could use this stuff And it is also used in wild places. My curiosity was literally up then and I wanted to know "how scary is this stuff?"
According to the Epa - Atrazine is one of the most heavily used herbicide in the United States. In 1990, over 64 million acres of cropland were treated with atrazine. This herbicide is used mainly in Indiana, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.
It even exceeds the 3 parts per billion rule (in the water) in the following states where good monitoring is happening: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin.
I will be honest I was happy to see Idaho not on that list, but I know that does not mean I am safe or that it is not used here - remember even the neighbor may be able to use it on his lawn!
"Atrazine is an herbicide used to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. This pesticide is a white crystalline solid organic mixture that is ready in many forms as a dry flowable, flowable liquid, water dispersible granular liquid, and a wetable powder. Trade names for atrazine consist of aatrex and atratol, and atrazine is in the family of triazines." Ok the Big red flag to me in that, is the fact that it gets to be use many different names. One of the things I have learned in Going Green is that is always a red flag; and it is both an herbicide and a pesticide!
This herbicide like other herbicides and pesticides; is carried off in runoff in one of two ways: either attached to sediments (rocks, dirt) or dissolved (or on top of) run off water. So either water takes it directly to other water source or the soil leaches it into the groundwater.
Research shows that when it comes to atrazine the majority of it enters water during the first month after application and that neither sunlight or evaporation cut or affect it. Also it can enter surface water by the drift recipe - meaning if it is dropped on the crop or area and the wind is blowing, the wind carries the herbicide to other surfaces and that can consist of near by land or water.
Now still with the Epa details we know that there are practically 50,000 community drinking water systems in the United States. 40,000 are served by ground water and the other 10,000 are served by surface water. And currently (because they have to start somewhere) the main focus of the Epa are the surface water systems. That means that 80% of the systems are not being heavily studied for atrazine contamination. That is an area of concern when we know that 36% (3,600 of the 10,000 surface water systems) have been identified as places where there is both atrazine use and 200 of these have approached or exceeded the "safe" amounts in the community water supply. And monitoring shows that 8 of those 200, have yearly median readings that significantly exceed the "safe levels".
In fact despite the restrictions that are in place, atrazine has also contaminated ground water (remember that is where 80% of the community water supplies come from) and was in fact the second most frequently detected contaminate in the Epa's National Pesticide in Drinking Water Wells Survey. And atrazine is designed to kill other plants, not pests.
The next logical query was well what can it do to me? Studies have shown atrazine to be slightly to slowly toxic to humans and animals, especially aquatic life. Atrazine can be absorbed orally, straight through the skin, and inhaled. The symptoms mimic many other illnesses. They consist of abdominal pain; diarrhea; vomiting; and irritation to the eye, skin, and mucus membranes. Short-term exposure can ensue in congestion of heart, lungs, kidneys; low blood pressure; muscle spasms; weight loss; and damage to adrenal glands. A short-term exposure is defined as exposure above the Maximum Contaminant Level ( Mcl) for short periods of time. Long term exposure can ensue in weight loss; cardiovascular damage; retinal and some muscle degeneration; and cancer. A long-term exposure is defined as a lifetime exposure above the Mcl.
One thing that literally stuck out for me what that atrazine has been banned in Europe and even in Switzerland. Switzerland is the home of the manufacturer and despite the condition risks to both population and the environment they continue to make it and sell it to the United States where we continue to use it in large quantities.
So I am glad that my filter can remove this risky substance, it is not something I want in my water supply!
Lung Cancer Definition:What Is Atrazine and Why Is It in the Water Supply?
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