[All] Atrazine, Grand River and latest study.

[jeff stager]

Hi
 I agree with Robert.
There are 4 types of "tri-azines" used for crop purposes.
1. cyanizine--- a discontinued corn herbicide
2. metribuzine--- a triazine used in soybean production
3. atrazine-- used in corn production
4. simazine-- long lasting, low soil mobility used for nursery forestry, 
rights of way for hydro and railways
The number one herbicide is probably glyphosate in corn and soy.
Metribuzine in soys is an option for the IP (identity preserved) 
specialty bean market. This market is 40% of the soybean acres. 
Metribuzine is one of a dozen or more spray combinations. Perhaps one 
acre of 10 soybean acres in the Region of Waterloo has metribuzine.
Atrazine is more widely used in corn. It is not used in soybean 
production because it will kill soybeans. Maybe 1 in three acres of corn 
in the Region of Waterloo has atrazine applied.
It is not wrong to oppose the use of atrazine.  What is wrong is to 
imply that the majority of soy and corn acres use atrazine.
jeff stager


Robert Milligan wrote:
> Hi Lulu,
>
> I agree very much with your concerns. Of course we have to reference 
> all stastistics/studies, e.g. re: "it is the #1 pesticide being used 
> on top of our aquifers currently in the corn and soy crops." if Gren 
> is to be expected to support this effort.
>
> A way to approach the problem might be -- as we could do with fluoride 
> in d. w., etc. -- is to relate these effectively unregulated toxins to 
> contributing significantly to the exponentially increasing costs of 
> the health care delivery system which are tending towards government 
> bankruptcy! We might also inquire of the health unit as to what
> competency they have in toxicology. (Over 15 years ago I suggested to 
> Regional Council that they make it possible for the HU to hire a PhD 
> toxicologist/immunologist who would also work for the UofW -- but of 
> course I didn't have the power of a group supporting these concerns & 
> ideas for addressing them.) Let's begin this long overdue work!
>
> Robert
>
>
> On 4-Dec-09, at 1:42 AM, Louisette Lanteigne wrote:
>
>> Hi folks
>>  
>> I've been working on this issue for many years and finally, the 
>> University of Ottawa has proven that Atrazine changes the sex of 
>> frogs even at very low levels. This reinforces the work done 
>> previously by US scientist Tyrone Hayes and many international 
>> scientists. To view the recent news release visit here: 
>>  
>> http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/091203/canada/canada_ottawa_ottawa_frogs_sex_change_atrazine
>>  
>> This is a CRITICAL ISSUE for our area because it is the #1 pesticide 
>> being used on top of our aquifers currently in the corn and soy 
>> crops. I've been pushing to ban the use of this substance in Canada 
>> and have written many correspondences to the government 
>> demanding Canadian studies and a ban.  It has already been banned in 
>> the UK, Japan and a host of other countries. The studies are in and 
>> the data shows the link.
>>  
>> The Canadian Pesticide Management Regulation Agency approved Atrazine 
>> without regard to international findings, without regard to the 
>> warnings by US scientist Tyrone Haynes who blew the whistle on this 
>> issue. Because the US EPA approved it Canada simply rubber stamped it.
>>  
>> During the EPA review there were 40 secret meetings with Syngenta, 
>> the manufacturer of Atrazine.The studies ignored the findings of frog 
>> deformities. This lead to a lawsuit with the Natural Resource Defence 
>> Council. (NRDC) which secured monitoring and further studies.
>>  
>> The chemical is linked to breast and prostate cancers, fish 
>> deformities and is a known endocrine disruptor.
>>  
>> Currently up and down the Grand River, breast and prostate cancers 
>> are the top two cancers. The fish deformities are already noted. They 
>> have eggs in the testies in the Grand River and frog deformities were 
>> found in Laurel Creek.
>>  
>> I'm going to request a ban of this substance in our watershed through 
>> the Lake Erie Source Water Protection Committee.
>>  
>> I would appreciate it if GREN members could spread the word on this. 
>> Perhaps at our next meeting we can endorse a letter to regional 
>> council and the Source Water Protection Committe and public 
>> health about this matter. We have the power to prevent cancer. We 
>> have the power to prevent the deformities. Let's do it.
>>  
>> Lulu :0)
>>  
>>
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>
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