Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, September 25, 2020
Atrazine to Be Banned in Hawaii, Territories
By News Release @ 11:26 PM :: 3197 Views :: Environment, Agriculture

Endocrine-disrupting Pesticide Atrazine to Be Banned in Hawaii, Five U.S. Territories, Prohibited on Conifers, Roadsides

Legal Agreement Forces Measures to Protect Endangered Species

News Release from Center for Biological Diversity, Sept 23 2020

WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the endocrine-disrupting pesticide atrazine will be banned in Hawaii and in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the North Mariana Islands.

Use of the cancer-linked pesticide, which is banned across much of the world, will also be prohibited along U.S. roadsides and on conifers on public and private lands, including forests and Christmas tree farms.

The pesticide’s largest manufacturer, Syngenta, agreed to the prohibitions in the wake of a legal agreement between the EPA and the Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network North America. The agreement also requires the agency to complete an analysis of atrazine’s impacts on the nation’s endangered species.

“This is amazing news for the people of Hawaii and all of our fragile flora, fauna and marine species, including the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal,” said Maxx Phillips, Hawaii director at the Center. “Atrazine is toxic to coral reefs and endangered species. It should have never been sprayed here in the first place. With this win, we can now focus on recovering our native and endangered species from other threats.”

In 2012, 77,000 pounds of atrazine were used in the state of Hawaii. Atrazine metabolites were the most commonly detected pesticide contaminants in surface water samples on Kauai and Oahu in 2016 and 2017, present in two-thirds of all water samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Research has linked atrazine to birth defects and cancer in people, and even miniscule doses can chemically castrate frogs.

It has been banned or is being phased out in more than 35 countries but is the second-most commonly used herbicide in the United States.

A 2009 survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that atrazine was the third-most highly used herbicide on Christmas tree farms, accounting for more than 22,000 pounds each year in just six surveyed states. In Oregon atrazine use on forest lands has generated deep concern among communities that fear for their health and the health of aquatic animals.

“This is a massive victory for the people exposed to this dangerous endocrine disruptor simply because they live near fields or forests sprayed with it,” said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center. “The last thing anyone imagines, when they live near a forest or bring a Christmas tree home to their living room, is that they’re signing up for atrazine exposure. Now they won’t have to, and neither will the salmon, frogs and fish.”

The EPA’s agreement with conservation groups to assess atrazine’s harm to endangered species came after an earlier “preliminary risk assessment” found that the amount of the pesticide released into the environment in the United States is likely to be harming most species of protected plants and animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

Syngenta’s decision to voluntarily agree to prohibitions on atrazine comes as a 2021 deadline approaches by which the EPA must complete an analysis of the pesticide’s impacts on endangered species, as required by the agreement with the two conservation groups.

Prohibitions were also announced for a similar herbicide, simazine, in the same states and on forests and roadsides. But although simazine poses the same toxic threats to people and wildlife as atrazine, it will still be allowed for use on Christmas trees, an action the Center strongly opposes and will continue to fight. 

---30---

TGI Sept 30, 2020: Atrazine to be banned in Hawai‘i

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT