Other Toxic Substances: Herbicide Associated with Birth Defects in Infants

Herbicide Associated with Birth Defects in Infants

Atrazine — Banned in EU but Used in US — Linked to Gastroschisis

Now it looks like atrazine could be blamed for one other problem: gastroschisis in infants.

Gastroschisis — a birth defect where the intestines grow outside of the body — remains one of the most unexplained birth defects.

But the herbicide’s main producer, Syngenta, has repeatedly denied any detrimental effects of atrazine, citing studies that the Environmental Protection Agency used in its decisions to reapprove atrazine in 2003 and 2006.

But so far, there has been no significant change in how the herbicide is distributed in the United States.

“The association between agrichemical exposure, seasonal variation, and increased risk of gastroschisis is consistent with previous studies. Our results endorse these findings, with a clear trend towards an increase in the rates of gastroschisis in the springtime,” the new study states.