Friend,

Atrazine is a common herbicide used on farms to control weeds -- but plants aren't the only things at risk from this chemical cocktail.

Research has linked atrazine to alarming health impacts on humans: Hormone disruption, birth defects and even a variety of cancers.1

When it comes to chemicals that can harm our families, it's far better to be safe than sorry and limit their use unless and until they're proven safe. Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new restrictions on the use of atrazine -- an important step in the right direction that will reduce the risk posed to us by this chemical.2

The EPA is accepting comments on the proposed restrictions until Sept. 5. Will you add your name today to protect our health from atrazine?

Part of what makes atrazine so hazardous is that it doesn't stay where it's sprayed. This chemical dissolves in water, so it can travel far from the field where it was originally applied.

Atrazine has been detected in bodies of water near farms, proving that it travels in agricultural runoff. But it has also been found in falling rainwater, meaning it can travel to rivers, streams and lakes that would otherwise remain uncontaminated.3

That's how atrazine can pose a potential risk to us: From agricultural fields to surface water, from surface water to our drinking water, and from a glass of water into our bodies. The new EPA regulation will require farmers to reduce their use of atrazine, or apply other mitigation measures, once the local concentration of the chemical in the water rises above a certain threshold.4

This is an important step the EPA can take right now to reduce the risks posed to our families by this herbicide. Take action before the comment period deadline.

We know we can convince the EPA to do the right thing on toxic pesticides -- because with the support of people like you, we've won before.

Even though the pesticide chlorpyrifos was linked to brain damage in children, it was once widely used.5 PIRG and our national network rallied our supporters to call for a ban and end the use of that toxic pesticide on food crops.

Together, we sent more than 27,000 messages to the EPA -- and the agency listened. Last year, the agency decided to ban most uses of the brain-damaging pesticide.6

That's how we know your voice can make a difference, Friend. Add your name today.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Raj Kumar Pathak & Anil Kumar Dikshit, "Atrazine and Human Health," International Journal of Ecosystem, 2011.
2. "Atrazine Registration Review," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, last accessed August 5, 2022.
3. Raj Kumar Pathak & Anil Kumar Dikshit, "Atrazine and Human Health," International Journal of Ecosystem, 2011.
4. E.A. Crunden, "Trump admin tried to blunt EPA review of popular weedkiller," E&E News, July 21, 2022.
5. Lisa Friedman, "E.P.A. Won't Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children's Health Problems," The New York Times, July 18, 2019.
6. Coral Davenport, "E.P.A. to Block Pesticide Tied to Neurological Harm in Children," The New York Times, August 18, 2021.

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