Weedkiller atrazine alters sex of frogs--study

As per the research conducted by Tyrone B. Hayes and his team at University of California, Berkeley, the use of atrazine can emasculate male frogs and also turn them into females.

The study has been published in the online journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.’

Atrazine interferes with hormones
In a lab test conducted by the researchers, it was found that exposure to the chemical resulted in castrating nearly 90 percent of the frogs and alerting the sex of 10 percent.

Nearly three quarters of the frogs tested show reduced libido, low sperm count, and reduced testosterone levels.

Hayes, a biologist and herpetologist at the university, stated, “The effects of atrazine in the long term have been shown to demasculinize or chemically castrate [frogs], combined with complete feminization of some animals."

The scientists believe that these sexual abnormalities could be due to the chemical’s interference with frogs’ hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.

The researchers also found that 40 percent of African clawed frogs are born and brought up in water containing high concentration of atrazine.

Study’s findings challenged
Syngenta, a large Swiss agribusiness company that manufactures pesticides, including atrazine, has rebuffed the findings of the study, claiming that the study has been poorly conducted and there are many irregularities.

"We haven't seen these kinds of responses that Dr. Hayes reports," stated Keith Solomon, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada and a former consultant at Syngenta.

The manufacturer on its site states that atrazine has “no adverse effect on frogs,” adding that it has conducted research that shows “that atrazine, even at the slightest levels sometimes found in water, has no effect on the normal development of frogs.”

About atrazine and its harmful effects on humans
Atrazine, an odorless herbicide, is a commonly used chemical in the nation. Used for grassy weed management, the herbicide helps in preventing photosynthesis. It is primarily used on corn, sugarcane, and wheat to fight weeds.

Though the benefits of the herbicide in weed management are unquestionable, the harmful effects of atrazine cannot be negated.

As per the findings of the studies, conducted over the years, atrazine contaminates groundwater and adversely affects humans.

A study presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Chicago highlighted that living near the farms that use atrazine may increase the risk of gastroschisis among new-born babies.

Another study has linked the herbicide to endocrine effects and low sperm count in men. A research also states that the chemical may up the risk of prostate cancer in humans.

Though the European Union has banned the chemical, it is still extensively used in United States.

Earlier, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had refuted the claims that atrazine threatens human health and the environment, but now the agency has launched an evaluation to determine the effect of atrazine on humans.