Guangzhou China Oct. 12, 2010 - A new study from USGS (the US Geological Survey) shows that atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicide in the world, is harmful to fish breeding and spawning activities. More and more researches indicate that atrazine damages fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, laboratory rats and even human. The study gives a summary of these results.
In the periodical of Aquatic Toxicology, USGS' scientists reported that fathead minnow can not spawn in laboratory environment where the concentration of herbicide is higher than in the wild. Moreover, the researchers have found that fish will reduce the number of fish eggs in the exposed state, and the reproductive tissues of fish even become deformed.
Atrazine is widely used for corn planting. It is one of the most frequently detected pesticide in the sample extracted from streams, ponds and lakes. In spring, herbicide is widely used for farming, so the concentration of the sample is the highest at this time. There are lager areas of corn in Maryland. Pesticides are detected in the streams and drinking water, although it is lower than the concentration of safety value in drinking water.
Early this year, scientists of California University found that atrazine can change male frogs into females. USGS noted that endocrine disrupting chemicals, including pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals and drugs, and reproductive effects may be the major cause of hermaphroditism phenomenon.
EU has already banned the use of atrazine. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified that atrazine affected the reproductive system of amphibians, but the effect on human remains to be further studied.
Source: CCM International