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Special
review of triazine herbicides in US—health concerns announced
The
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on 10 November 1994, that it
has begun a Special Review of three of the most widely used herbicides in the
US—atrazine, cyanazine and simazine — because of concerns that they may
present serious health risks. Between 90-120 million pounds of these herbicides,
known collectively as triazines, are applied to US crops each year (in Europe
they have been widely used in the non-agricultural sector). The EPA cited
concern that long-term exposure to these pesticides in food and drinking water
may pose a risk of cancer to the US population. The Special Review will examine
the risks and benefits of the pesticides, estimate the costs of shifting to
alternatives, and determine whether the pesticides should he cancelled, further
restricted or allowed to be used as before.
The triazine pesticides being reviewed by the EPA are primarily used as
pre-emergent herbicides on field corn, but are also used on sorghum as well as
other crops. In Europe atrazine, in particular, has been severely restricted in
many countries including Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and
Italy. These measures have been taken principally in order to meet stringent
drinking water standards set by the European Union.
The EPA stated that recently-published human epidemiological studies provide
"conflicting but, in some cases, suggestive evidence" that exposure to
environmental toxins such as pesticides may contribute to the increasing rates
of breast cancer in US women. The press release further states that "while
EPA does not have information which supports a link between exposure to the
triazine herbicides and human breast cancer, the Agency cannot dismiss the
possibility that such an association could exist."
According to Tap Water Blues, a report released recently by the Environmental
Working Group (EWG) and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), more than 14
million people in the US routinely drink water that is contaminated with five
major agricultural herbicides, including the triazines. The authors of Tap Water
Blues argue that the triazines can cause cancer in animals and may pose other
health risks to humans as well, especially to infants and children. Because of
these risks, the EWG and PSR demanded that the US EPA and US Department of
Agriculture phase-out the use of triazines within two years.
Ciba-Geigy of Greensboro, NC, is the principal registrant and manufacturer of
atrazine (first registered in 1959) and siniazine (first registered in 1957). Du
Pont Agricultural Products of Wilmington, Delaware and Ciba-Geigy are principal
registrants of cyanazine (registered in 1971 under the trade name Bladex).
US EPA Pres Release, November 10, 1994; "EPA Begins Special Review of Triazine Pesticides"; Wall Street Journal. November 11, 1994; Pesticides & Toxic Chemical News, November 16, 1994.