Other Toxic Substances: atrazine and 2,4 - D: GUEST VIEWPOINT: Herbicides are spawning a tragedy

Beware of disinformation from those who profit from the manufacture, dissemination and use of these dangerous chemicals.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency stopped 2,4,5-T in an emergency cancellation,

the use of 2,4-D has continued unabated, and indeed is one of the most widely used toxic chemicals in America.

It is 2,4-D and Atrazine that were found in the urine of Triangle Lake residents, even children. The newspapers have been filled with letters on this subject. Some herbicide victims have written entire books on the war against these poisons, having experienced illness and the death of animals.

It matters not whether the herbicides’ target is “invasive species” or the “unwanted growth” of non-commercial trees, the results are the same: the environment and our health are being sacrificed.

Scientific information is readily available about the chemicals’ toxicity, their role in cancer and birth defects; their effect on frogs, bees and other wildlife; and their effects on dogs, our water and the entire environment.

Triangle Lake residents are tucked into a valley that is mercilessly sprayed with herbicides. We congratulate them on proving that these very toxic chemicals have invaded their bodies. To trespass upon the bodies of others is surely a crime, and we believe it should be treated as such.

The Source

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.