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August 24, 2009
· Weed killer in drinking water raises concerns
· Atrazine celebrates 50 years of weed control
· Oregon farmers among leaders in computer use
· Large-acreage growers embrace social media
· New bait spells doom to bee-killing varroa mites
Weed killer in drinking water raises concerns
(The New York Times) – For decades, farmers, lawn care workers and professional green thumbs have relied on the popular weed killer atrazine to protect their crops, golf courses and manicured lawns.
But atrazine often washes into water supplies and has become among the most common contaminants in American reservoirs and other sources of drinking water.
Now, new research suggests that atrazine may be dangerous at lower concentrations than previously thought. Recent studies suggest that, even at concentrations meeting current federal standards, the chemical may be associated with birth defects, low birth weights and menstrual problems.
Laboratory experiments suggest that when animals are exposed to brief doses of atrazine before birth, they may become more vulnerable to cancer later.
An investigation by The New York Times has found that in some towns, atrazine concentrations in drinking water have spiked, sometimes for longer than a month. But the reports produced by local water systems for residents often fail to reflect those higher concentrations.
Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency say Americans are not exposed to unsafe levels of atrazine. They say that current regulations are adequate to protect human health, and that the doses of atrazine coming through people’s taps are safe — even when concentrations jump.
But some scientists and health advocates disagree. They argue that the recent studies offer enough concerns that the government should begin re-examining its regulations. They also say that local water systems — which have primary responsibility for the safety of drinking water — should be forced to monitor atrazine more frequently, in order to detect short-term increases and warn people when they occur.
The E.P.A. has not cautioned pregnant women about the potential risks of atrazine so that they can consider using inexpensive home filtration systems. And though the agency is aware of new research suggesting risks, it will not formally review those studies until next year at the earliest. Federal scientists who have worked on atrazine say the agency has largely shifted its focus to other compounds.
Interviews with local water officials indicate that many of
them are unaware that atrazine concentrations have sometimes jumped sharply in
their communities. But other officials are concerned. Forty-three water systems
in six states —
Representatives of the E.P.A. and Syngenta, the company that manufactures most of the atrazine sold, say that current federal standards are based on hundreds of studies showing Americans are safe. In a written statement, the E.P.A. said that it applied large safety buffers in regulating atrazine and continued to monitor emerging science.
“The exposure that the agency allows under its atrazine drinking water regulations is at least 300 to 1,000 times lower than the level where the agency saw health effects in the most sensitive animal species tested,” the statement said. New studies, while raising important issues, do not “suggest a revision to E.P.A.’s current regulatory approach, which has been built on the review and consideration of hundreds of studies, including animal toxicity and human epidemiological studies dealing with atrazine,” the agency said.
Syngenta said the lawsuits were baseless.
But the head of another government agency voiced apprehension. “I’m very concerned about the general population’s exposure to atrazine,” said Linda S. Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. “We don’t really know what these chemicals do to fetuses or prepubescent children.”
“At a minimum, pregnant women should have access to accurate information about what’s in their drinking water,” Dr. Birnbaum added.
Critiques of the E.P.A.
Atrazine is just one example of what critics say are
regulatory weaknesses in the protections of
In January, a Government Accountability Office report said that the E.P.A.’s system for assessing toxic chemicals was broken, and that the agency often failed to gather adequate information on whether chemicals posed health risks.
Forty percent of the nation’s community water systems violated the Safe Drinking Water Act at least once last year, according to a Times analysis of E.P.A. data, and dozens of chemicals have been detected at unsafe levels in drinking water.
In interviews, some E.P.A. officials conceded that they were frustrated by the limitations they face in scrutinizing chemicals like atrazine. An estimated 33 million Americans have been exposed to atrazine through their taps, according to data from water systems nationwide.
“The public believes that the E.P.A. has carefully reviewed all the chemicals that are used and has the authority it needs to deal with risks, but that’s often not the case,” said Erik D. Olson, director of food and consumer product safety at the Pew Charitable Trusts, and a former lawyer at the E.P.A. and for the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works.
“The E.P.A. is working with weak laws, basic research at the agency is often seriously underfunded, and in some cases there’s institutional inertia against change,” he added. “That’s contributed to a sense that the agency is often slow to react to new science showing risks.”
Though the hazards posed by atrazine are far from clear, some scientists and health advocates argue that the chemical deserves special scrutiny because it is so widely used. The European Union, for instance, has banned atrazine as part of a precautionary policy that prohibits pesticides that easily contaminate groundwater. (European regulators did not evaluate the chemical’s health risks.)
Atrazine, which is sold under various brand names including AAtrex, is most commonly used on corn in farming states. But it can also be found on lawns, gardens, parks and golf courses. Sometimes, the only way to avoid atrazine during summer months, when concentrations tend to rise as cropland is sprayed, is by forgoing tap water and relying on bottled water or using a home filtration system.
E.P.A. officials note that anyone using atrazine must complete a short training course and is warned to wear long-sleeve shirts and pants, as well as chemical-resistant gloves and shoes, when spraying. The chemical cannot be applied near lakes, reservoirs or other bodies of water. And local water systems must produce an annual report detailing the highest concentrations of atrazine and other chemicals detected over the previous year.
Some high-ranking E.P.A. officials say there are concerns over atrazine, and that it, among other chemicals, is likely to be closely re-examined by the new E.P.A. administrator, Lisa P. Jackson.
“Atrazine is obviously very controversial and in widespread use, and it’s one of a number of substances that we’ll be taking a hard look at,” said Stephen A. Owens, who was recently confirmed as the E.P.A.’s assistant administrator for prevention, pesticides and toxic substances.
He went on: “I can’t say whether the outcome will be any different, but Administrator Jackson has made clear that we need to take a close look at decisions made in the previous administration, and be certain about the science behind those judgments.”
The New Science
Some of the current regulations governing atrazine in drinking water were established in the 1990s. Critics say that science has changed since then — but that the regulations have not.
Recent studies suggest that when adults and fetuses are exposed to even small doses of atrazine, like those allowed under law, they may suffer serious health effects. In particular, some scientists worry that atrazine may be safe during many periods of life but dangerous during brief windows of development, like when a fetus is growing and pregnant women are told to drink lots of water.
“There are short, critical times — like when a fetus’s brain
is developing — when chemicals can have disastrous impacts, even in very small
concentrations,” said Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, a
professor at the
“There’s still a huge amount we don’t know about atrazine,” she added.
In recent years, five epidemiological studies published in peer-reviewed journals have found evidence suggesting that small amounts of atrazine in drinking water, including levels considered safe by federal standards, may be associated with birth defects — including skull and facial malformations and misshapen limbs — as well as low birth weights in newborns and premature births. Defects and premature births are leading causes of infant deaths.
Some of those studies suggest that as atrazine concentrations rise, the incidence of birth defects grows. One study — by researchers at Purdue University, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives — suggests that concentrations as small as 0.1 parts per billion may be associated with low birth weights.
The E.P.A. generally does not require water systems to notify residents unless the yearly average of atrazine in drinking water exceeds 3 parts per billion, and under a determination made earlier this decade, the agency considers one-day exposures of up to 297 parts per billion safe.
Another study suggests that concentrations of atrazine in drinking water below the E.P.A. thresholds may disrupt menstrual cycles.
Many of those studies examined large populations that are already exposed to atrazine and sought to exclude the effects of other contaminants and environmental or health factors. However, such epidemiological studies cannot prove that atrazine causes specific diseases. Definitive scientific proof would probably require unethical experiments, like exposing pregnant women to the chemical in controlled settings. Some research found that other pesticides may have also contributed to health problems.
Agency and Industry Rebuttal
In written statements, the E.P.A. and Syngenta argued there were problems with all of the studies suggesting health risks from low doses of atrazine.
Agency officials pointed out that epidemiological findings cannot fully differentiate between multiple influences, and that they only highlight associations, and do not demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship, and that the “E.P.A. has required and extensively reviewed laboratory studies on atrazine and developmental effects.”
“Data from these studies,” the E.P.A. said, “do not suggest that birth defects, small-for-gestational-age, or effects on limb development would occur as a result of exposure to levels of atrazine found in the environment.” Officials added that the agency evaluates all studies as they appear and takes appropriate actions.
Syngenta said in a written statement that “the evidence is overwhelming that atrazine does not cause adverse health effects at levels to which people are normally exposed,” and that “studies have shown that atrazine does not cause birth defects and does not cause reproductive effects.”
But six researchers asked by The Times to review the epidemiological studies said the results were troubling. “These suggest real reasons for concern,” said Melissa Perry, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. “The results need to be replicated, but they suggest there are real questions for policy makers about what constitutes safe levels of atrazine.”
Concerns have also been raised by researchers at the E.P.A. itself. Since 2003, for instance, research published by agency scientists in journals like Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology has shown that when rats are exposed to brief doses of atrazine as fetuses, some experience delayed puberty and their mammary glands change in ways that could make them more vulnerable to cancer later in life.
“The morphological changes we see look similar to those caused by other compounds that make tissue more susceptible to carcinogens,” said Suzanne Fenton, an E.P.A. scientist who has written about atrazine. “This theory hasn’t been tested for atrazine. There’s still a lot that we don’t know.”
E.P.A. and Syngenta representatives said that experiments showing changes in rats used higher doses than found in drinking water and that those studies did not provide the scientific confidence required for regulation. Outside scientists, in interviews, said other research suggested that similar effects could be observed at lower doses.
Dr. Fenton says she is no longer working on atrazine. Other E.P.A. employees also said they had been encouraged to redirect their energies to other chemicals, because of insufficient resources and competing priorities.
E.P.A. officials said that other researchers were currently working on atrazine and that the agency intended to convene a panel by 2011 to evaluate epidemiological and other studies.
Below the Radar
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act was created, in part,
with cities like
But when spikes in atrazine occur in
Since local water systems test for atrazine as infrequently as once a year, the E.P.A. has required that the companies manufacturing the chemical, primarily Syngenta, monitor the drinking water of a sample of towns — as many as 154 communities — as often as once a week. The companies submit that data to federal officials. The E.P.A. says those tests indicate that few towns have violated Safe Drinking Water limits for atrazine.
However, a Times review of Syngenta’s data shows that some communities had large spikes of atrazine in their drinking water, sometimes for months at a time. But residents were not warned.
For instance, in April 2005, the drinking water in
But the people of Piqua never learned about those spikes from local water officials or the E.P.A. City officials test for atrazine only once a month in the spring, and the annual report sent to residents in 2005 said the highest level of atrazine detected was only 11.6 parts per billion — 80 percent lower than the peak measured by Syngenta. Residents were also not told when peaks had occurred or how long they lasted or whether there were multiple spikes.
Syngenta said the company regularly provided city officials
with testing results.
“I didn’t know that we got any information about atrazine
besides our own testing,” said Frederick E. Enderle,
Some residents are angry.
“This makes my blood boil,” said Jeff Lange, a
Drinking water experts say atrazine spikes most likely occur in many other towns that are not monitored by Syngenta. In those areas, there is essentially no way for residents or officials to monitor how high levels go.
E.P.A. officials said that under the Safe Drinking Water
Act, the data collected by third parties, like Syngenta, did not fall under
right-to-know provisions and that
But residents, including Mr. Lange, said Syngenta’s findings should have at least prompted the city to test more frequently, or led the E.P.A. to tell the city to change its testing schedule.
E.P.A. officials also said they do not believe that atrazine
spikes like those in
However, studies like the one at Purdue suggest there are health risks at much smaller concentrations, and other studies suggest those risks rise as exposures grow.
Critics contend that atrazine is just one of the many chemicals the E.P.A. has not regulated with sufficient caution.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, is expected to release a report on Monday saying that weak E.P.A. regulation of atrazine poses risks to humans and the environment. Other organizations have made similar charges about a variety of chemicals, including fuel additives, dry cleaning and manufacturing solvents, and industrial waste dumped into water supplies.
“There’s pretty broad consensus that the laws regarding toxic substances need to be modernized and overhauled, and that the E.P.A. needs more resources,” said Mr. Olson of Pew, who added that the agency’s new leadership had begun addressing many issues.
“But in the meantime, people are getting exposed to dangerous chemicals,” Mr. Olson said. “And the E.P.A. isn’t responding swiftly enough.”
Atrazine celebrates 50 years of weed control
(Wire Services) – This season marks the 50th anniversary of atrazine, one of the most valuable crop protection products ever developed. Throughout these years, growers have relied on atrazine for efficient, cost-effective control of a wide range of broadleaf weeds and grasses.
"Time has proven that atrazine is one of the most
reliable, flexible tools growers can use to protect crops from yield-robbing
weeds," said Chuck Foresman, technical brand
manager for Syngenta. "Well over half the corn acres, about two-thirds of
sorghum acres and up to 90 percent of sugar cane acres in the
Triazine herbicides were discovered by researchers at a Syngenta legacy company in the early 1950s, and atrazine was introduced to growers for the 1959 season. As the original developer, Syngenta plans to celebrate atrazine's anniversary throughout the year.
The product is known for economical and effective weed control and the ability to enhance the performance of other products.
"Atrazine is an economical option that helps us control
problem weeds like velvetleaf, vines and morningglory,"
said grower Mat Muirheid of Oakley,
According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, atrazine helps corn growers like Muirheid save as much as $28 per acre. Besides protecting crops and grower profits, atrazine also supports conservation tillage systems that can reduce soil erosion by up to 90 percent, and can help delay the development of weed resistance.
Muirheid noted, "We also use atrazine to provide a different mode of action for weed control. We don't want to develop weed resistance."
Today, besides being available as a stand-alone herbicide, such as AAtrex® brands, more than 45 pre-mix products contain atrazine, including Lumax®, Lexar®, Expert® and Bicep II Magnum® brand herbicides from Syngenta. Foresman added that used in combination or rotation with other herbicides, atrazine also helps delay and manage weed resistance.
Because of its vital role in weed control and popularity in more than 60 countries around the world, atrazine has been carefully studied for years. World-renowned institutions including the World Health Organization, the National Cancer Institute and EPA all have studied atrazine and found no health concerns when used as directed.
"Atrazine continues to pass the most stringent regulatory standards for safety," said Foresman. "In 2006, the EPA re-registered atrazine for crop protection use. And Syngenta works closely with growers in many watershed projects and in other stewardship programs to ensure that atrazine is used according to EPA guidelines and best management practices we've helped develop."
Muirheid understands the importance of following those guidelines, so that he can continue to take advantage of the value atrazine brings.
"We follow the label and regulations for atrazine use," he said. "Atrazine helps us get the best weed control possible."
For more information, visit http://www.atrazine.com.
Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 24,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.
AAtrex, Bicep II Magnum, Expert, Lexar and Lumax are Restricted Use Pesticides. AAtrex®, Bicep II Magnum®, Expert®, Lexar®, Lumax® and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
Oregon
(AP)
The survey shows
"We know that
The survey is conducted every two years by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But the survey shows other states are catching up while
"Being an early adopter of computer use may have
resulted in
The state also showed a slight decline in purchases of
agricultural supplies and in marketing activity on the Internet. But
agriculture officials say
The survey indicates that high-speed access with digital telephone service, cable, satellite and wireless connections have become much more available to farms and ranches.
The percentage of Oregon farmers and ranchers still using dial-up service has been cut in half from 52 percent in 2007 to just 26 percent in 2009.
Officials also say devices such as personal digital assistants have become more popular, reducing reliance on computers for Internet access. The survey did not ask specifically about PDAs, so it was not clear whether farmers and ranchers drew a distinction between computers and the handheld devices.
Large-acreage growers embrace social media
(Wire Services) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sixty-two percent of large-acreage, U.S. corn and soybean growers have sent or received text messages during the past year, according to the newly released Agriculture New Media Usage Study (corn and soybean segment focus), conducted by Nicholson Kovac, Inc.
The Agriculture New Media Usage study is the first of its kind in the agribusiness industry. It provides comprehensive insight on the use of social media and new media among large acreage corn and soybean growers -- including Internet usage, social networking and mobile phone activities -− for business and social purposes.
"We know that crop producers, especially larger operators, are fairly tech savvy, but nothing exists that we are aware of that validates and confirms their use of new media and social media tools," said Sheree Johnson, senior vice president, director of media services, Nicholson Kovac. "This new media research provides a number of eye-opening statistics on how corn and soybean growers use their phones and computers, and how they are engaged in social networking."
In addition to the percentage of growers sending or receiving text messages, the study reveals the high degree of frequency of texting, as well as other mobile phone activities such as taking photos, e-mailing, downloading ring tones, accessing GPS and more. Forty-eight percent of those texting send five or more texts per day, and 63 percent of respondents indicated they have taken pictures with their mobile phones.
The 35-page study also explores in detail the Internet usage of these growers, including how they are accessing their Internet and for what topics they search:
# Forty-seven percent spend five or more hours per week online, and 23 percent spend 10 or more hours online
# Besides utilizing e-mail, accessing weather and market reports are the highest ranked in terms of Internet use for their business/farm
# In addition, 85 percent of respondents indicated that they visit Web sites related to their farm operation, and 76 percent check manufacturers' Web sites
The study also explored the presence of crop producers on Facebook(TM), Twitter(TM) and other social networking sites. It also details growers' usage of blogs, forums and/or message boards. Search engine usage and preference were also explored.
"While there appears to be some confusion and lack of familiarity about social networking, blogging, etc., when social networking brands (ie., such as Facebook or Twitter) were mentioned, many respondents confirmed they are actively using these sites," said Johnson. "The early adopters and growers who are influencers in their communities are already engaged in exploring new media platforms."
Findings were based on 250 completed personal phone interviews conducted in May. Respondents farm an average of 1,500 corn and/or soybean acres, and they were pre-screened to have a mobile phone and/or a computer with Internet access.
Nicholson Kovac Inc., an integrated marketing communications company, is counted among the top independent advertising agencies in the country and serves national and global brands.
New bait spells doom to bee-killing varroa mites
(USDA-ARS) – Varroa mites could literally be walking into a
trap -- thanks to a new attractant developed by Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) scientists in
The 1/16-inch long parasite, Varroa destructor, is a top pest of honey bees nationwide, hindering the beneficial insects' ability to pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, zucchini and many other flowering crops.
At the ARS Chemistry Research Unit in
In nature, Varroa mites rely on these semiochemicals to locate -- and then feed on -- the bloodlike hemolymph of both adult honey bees and their brood. Severe infestations can decimate an affected hive within several months -- and rob the beekeeper of profits from honey or pollinating services. But in this case, the mites encounter a more heady bouquet of honey bee odors that lure the parasites away from their intended hosts and onto the sticky boards, where they starve.
In preliminary tests, 35 to 50 percent of mites dropped off the bees when exposed to the attractants. Free-roving mites found the semiochemicals even more attractive, according to Teal.
Moreover, the extra dose of semiochemicals
wafting through hives didn't appear to significantly interfere with the honey
bees' normal behavior or activity, added Teal who, along with postdoctoral
associate Adrian Duehl and
The team hopes ARS' patenting of the Varroa mite attractants will encourage an industrial partner to develop the technology further.
End Transmission