The other day I was talking to a conventional farmer and he was saying that he was going to use a Herbicide called Atrazine, on his crops. I didn't know anything about it so I decided to do a bit of research and this is what I found.
Atrazine is a popular synthetic chemical herbicide (weed killer). It was first invented back in the late 1950s to control broadleaf weeds and unwanted grasses. In Australia alone, around 2,700 to 3,000 tonnes (nearly 3 million kilograms) of active Atrazine are sprayed onto agricultural soils every single year.
What Does "Systemic" Mean?
Atrazine is a systemic herbicide. That means when it’s sprayed, the plant absorbs it through its roots and leaves. The chemical moves all through the plant's internal sap system, blocking its ability to process sunlight (photosynthesis). The weed essentially starves to death from the inside out.
Which Crops Is It Used On (And What Foods Do They Become)?
You’ll find Atrazine heavily used on major broad-acre crops. Because these crops are processed into hundreds of basic food staples, traces of Atrazine can turn up in everyday foods and beverages:
Field Corn & Sweet Corn: Used to make corn starch, high-fructose corn syrup, corn chips, tortillas, popcorn, breakfast cereals, and livestock feed.
Grain Sorghum: Used for gluten-free flour, sorghum syrups, snack foods, pet food, and livestock feed.
Sugarcane: Processed into raw white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and added sugars in soft drinks and sweets.
Triazine-Tolerant Canola: Used to produce commercial canola oil and vegetable oil blends used in cooking and processed foods.
Pineapples & Macadamia Nuts: Fresh fruits, canned juices, jams, and packaged tree nuts.
Drinking Water & Beverages: Because Atrazine easily washes off crop fields into rivers and groundwater, traces have even been found in municipal tap water, bottled fruit juices, and wine.
Where Is It Banned?
Because Atrazine easily washes into soil and contaminates underground water supplies, it has been banned in the European Union (EU) since 2004 and is banned or heavily restricted in over 60 countries. However, it remains one of the most widely used weed killers in North America and Australia.
Health & Environmental Concerns
Atrazine doesn't stay where it's sprayed. It frequently washes into rivers, streams, and drinking water sources.
Carcinogen risk: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) updated Atrazine's classification to "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A).
Water persistence: It breaks down very slowly once it gets into groundwater supplies.
Hormones, Sexual Identity, and Dr. Tyrone Hayes
One of the biggest concerns around Atrazine is that it acts as an endocrine disruptor—meaning it interferes with body hormones.
Biologist Dr. Tyrone Hayes from UC Berkeley conducted groundbreaking scientific studies on Atrazine's impact on wildlife:
Hormone flipping: Dr. Hayes found that extremely low, realistic levels of Atrazine in water turn on an enzyme called aromatase. This enzyme converts male hormones (testosterone) into female hormones (estrogen).
Impact on frogs: In his experiments, exposure to Atrazine demasculinized male frogs. It caused some male frogs to grow ovaries instead of testes (hermaphroditism) and even turned genetically male frogs into functional females capable of laying eggs.
These findings sparked massive global debates on how endocrine-disrupting agricultural chemicals might affect human reproductive development and hormonal balance over time.
Just another reason to invest in your families long term health by purchasing certified organic and bio-dynamic food, where such synthetic chemicals are not used . By purchasing conventional/chemical food products the companies that make these poisons will continue to do so.
References & Sources:
[1] The APVMA Review of Atrazine: Environmental & Usage Assessment
[2] EPA & Agricultural Extension Fact Sheets: Atrazine Mode of Action & Crop Uses
[3] Center for Food Safety & Environmental Health Reports
[4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans
[5] Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): Hermaphroditic, Demasculinized Frogs After Exposure to Atrazine
[6] UC Berkeley News: Pesticide Atrazine Can Turn Male Frogs Into Females
