Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #atrazine
Most recents (7)
I need to do something to stop stewing over the supreme court, so I'm just going to tell the story of how the endocrine disrupting pesticide #atrazine went from being on its last leg in the U.S. to being rubberstamped for the foreseeable future
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
No one is going to tell this story because there are a thousand other scandals happening right now and because it's super wonky.
Unlike a lot of the big environmental rollbacks that will hopefully be reversed after the election, this will likely fall under the radar
Unlike a lot of the big environmental rollbacks that will hopefully be reversed after the election, this will likely fall under the radar
In 2016, under the Obama admin., EPA put out a devastating eco risk assessment of atrazine basically saying that its use has to be scaled back dramatically or there will be serious environmental consequences
In 50 years, this was the most hard-lined position EPA had taken
In 50 years, this was the most hard-lined position EPA had taken
Never let a good crisis go to waste huh @Syngenta?
About 7 months after the pesticide company asked for – and was denied – a permanent reprieve from monitoring for #atrazine in waterways, Syngenta asked @EPA for a temporary reprieve due to the pandemic
…and EPA granted it
About 7 months after the pesticide company asked for – and was denied – a permanent reprieve from monitoring for #atrazine in waterways, Syngenta asked @EPA for a temporary reprieve due to the pandemic
…and EPA granted it
A better company might say “Let’s stop using this poison until we can safely monitor levels in the rivers that supply people's drinking water”
Syngenta said “Let us keep profiting off of this poison and let us off the hook from showing you just how much we’re polluting”
Syngenta said “Let us keep profiting off of this poison and let us off the hook from showing you just how much we’re polluting”
The first request to permanently suspend the AEEMP program (which EPA actually granted in part by reducing the monitoring requirements)
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
I still just cannot believe this. The only thing @EPA is proposing to do to prevent runoff from #atrazine is a "stewardship program" run by the pesticide companies
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
In 2016 the EPA found "substantial" harm to all aquatic organisms from atrazine runoff, including MONITORED levels of atrazine that were high enough to outright kill frogs and fish
This was documented to occur by the atrazine monitoring program set up in 2004
This was documented to occur by the atrazine monitoring program set up in 2004
Yet, in its proposed re-approval of atrazine the EPA is only proposing to require ChemChina (Syngenta) to create a new brochure containing text and graphics that will "educate farmers on several different facets of proper use and handling of #atrazine"
Our new investigation just out detailing how @EPA is still approving products that contain the worst pesticides
This includes pesticides that EPA has mandated use reductions or incentivized replacement like #chlorpyrifos, methyl bromide and #atrazine
biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pest…
This includes pesticides that EPA has mandated use reductions or incentivized replacement like #chlorpyrifos, methyl bromide and #atrazine
biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pest…
I went through FOIA records on new pesticide products that were approved by the EPA in 2017-2018 and found that most new pesticide product applications, about 94%, are ultimately approved
*All denials were procedural in nature, not because the product was deemed too dangerous
*All denials were procedural in nature, not because the product was deemed too dangerous
A review of individual ingredients in the products that were approved from 2017 to 2018 indicated that many contain the most hazardous pesticides still in use, some of which have been banned by multiple other countries and even targeted for phaseout in the United States
Regulator-mandated advertising?? 😂😂
The Trump EPA is going to REQUIRE ChemChina (Syngenta) to create a new brochure containing text and graphics that will educate farmers on several different facets of proper use and handling of #atrazine
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
The Trump EPA is going to REQUIRE ChemChina (Syngenta) to create a new brochure containing text and graphics that will educate farmers on several different facets of proper use and handling of #atrazine
regulations.gov/document?D=EPA…
"The brochures will be printed in two formats. One will be a branded Syngenta brochure and the other will be an unbranded brochure that can be used by the other registrants for their stewardship efforts."
You can't make this stuff up. The EPA pesticide office is a joke
You can't make this stuff up. The EPA pesticide office is a joke
I can just imagine how this went down
EPA: Your products have led to widespread environmental contamination of one of the most dangerous pesticides still in use....how about you print off some brochures and we call it good?
Syngenta:
EPA: Your products have led to widespread environmental contamination of one of the most dangerous pesticides still in use....how about you print off some brochures and we call it good?
Syngenta:
Reading @EPA's press release on #atrazine today you might be fooled to think that the agency is actually increasing safeguards for one of the most harmful pesticides still in use
The complete opposite is true
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
The complete opposite is true
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
This is the first time I am aware of that protections will actually be erased for atrazine.
Want to know more about this convoluted process that actually allows EPA to say that it is increasing protections for atrazine?
Come find out
Want to know more about this convoluted process that actually allows EPA to say that it is increasing protections for atrazine?
Come find out
While EPA is putting in place some very modest safeguards that have not been in place before, like nozzle requirements, a small reduction in use on turf and requirements for safety gear to be used, these weak measures only seem sufficient because other safeguards were gutted
In a memorandum quietly posted to Regulations.gov yesterday, EPA has decided that it will raise the allowable level of #atrazine in water bodies like rivers, streams and lakes by 50%.
Yes, atrazine…
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
Yes, atrazine…
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-r…
This is in response to Syngenta - the maker of atrazine - and Big Corn, who were furious that the Obama EPA actually proposed to reduce the allowable levels of atrazine in water by 3-fold in 2016 to protect aquatic life like frogs, fish and salamanders.
The current level is 10 ppb on a 60-day average. In a 2016 scientific analysis, the EPA proposed to reduce it to 3.4 ppb, a level that every single atrazine use would exceed. The Trump EPA is going to raise it to 15 ppb.
