Back in August, The New York Times published a pretty damning feature on the harmful effects of atrazine: Even in "safe" quantities, the presence of the weed killer in drinking water could cause birth defects, menstrual problems, and cancer, according to recent studies. The idea that the thing we need most to live is killing us? Scary stuff, and in a serious Strangelovian way. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency seems to think so, too. After years of apparent denial regarding atrazine's danger and reluctance to change federal standards, the EPA is finally coming around the idea that herbicide may not be the best thing to consume on a regular basis and is launching a comprehensive evaluation of the chemical's effect on health:
“One of Administrator [Lisa] Jackson’s top priorities is to improve the way EPA manages and assesses the risk of chemicals, including pesticides, and as part of that effort, we are taking a hard look at the decision made by the previous administration on atrazine,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “Our examination of atrazine will be based on transparency and sound science, including independent scientific peer review, and will help determine whether a change in EPA’s regulatory position on this pesticide is appropriate.”
This also generally keeps with the good news that's recently come out of the agency. Last week, Jackson said that the EPA was going to work to combat global warming through pollution regulation, whether or not it has Congress' support. And within the past month, the EPA has suspended surface-mining projects that violated the Clean Water Act, citing the need to "use the best science and follow the letter of the law" and keeping with Jackson's initial promise to make science the "backbone of what the EPA does" -- a logical goal, but one that's been ignored in recent years.
Hopefully, the trend of putting science first continues under Jackson's EPA -- a strong voice there will be especially needed as the climate change debate gets more serious.
--Alexandra Gutierrez
