News article on community park spring cleaning event, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

New Study Adds to Debate on E.P.A. Rules for Pesticide

lowA^ : J A CLOSER LOOK ----- — ^1.pit Seasonal Surges of Pesticide Exposure lOB. The Environmental Protection Agency studied 28 towns that had experienced unusually high levels of atrazine in drinking water during b rainy planting season. In 26 towns ;■

IP (shown betOWT the water Dollution exceeded IhA aaencv'.s strictest safatv thre.shold.............. '

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Sizes of circles show levels " \ XS- Missouri of risk. A level of 100 is the ' River threshold for exposure of KE¥ infants to atrazine for a 100 -^-zoo few weeks or months.

Sources: E.P.A.; Dr, Linda Greer, Natural Resources Defense Council Values below 106 r^lesent safety thresholds deemed protective of ^.9 percent of those exposed.

• says it will offer studies of its own to 'to remove atrazine from its list off The New York Times By JOHN H. CUSHMAN Jr. refute the frog research, and it con­ substances that probably cause can­ misses that argument. Ttm Pastoor, WASHINGTON, June 1 — The En­ tinues to challenge many of the agen­ cer to humans. who is in charge of global risk as- , vironmental Protection Agency is cy’s findings as being too cautious. One such group, the Natural Re­ sessment for the company, said, embroiled in several fierce legal and But environmental groups are mak­ sources Defense Council, says it will "The notion that anyone would want scientific debates as it straggles to ing Just the opposite claim: that the file a petition with the E.P.A. and the to ban atrazine is silly.” Mr, Pastoor write new rules governing the use of Justice Department on Monday ask­ said that scientific evidence proved atrazine, one of the nation’s most ing that the chemical be banned and atrazine to be safe as currently used, widely uSed pesticides. that the company be investigated for and that the E,P.A., in Its current The chemical, used to banish weeds from cornfields In the Mid­ Fierce scientific and not promptly disclosing the work­ place cancers, as required by, taw. reviews, was being far too conserva­ tive in Its scientific approach. He west and residential lawns in the Southeast, and for many other pur­ legal arguments “I think that the E.P.A. has missed the boat on the cancer assessment said the reason so many workers at the company’s factory were found to poses, has been linked in studies to tangle the process of completely, because they did not have prostate cancer was simply cancer in humans and to deformities have available important Informa­ that the company. Intensively in frogs that caused them to grow ijoth testes and ovaries. It Is banned defining guidelines. tion about its links to cancer,” said Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at screens Its workers for the disease. The United States uses about 00 in some European countries. the council, an advocacy group that million pounds of atrazine a year, Now, the environmental agency specializes in litigation to enforce acknowledges that the newly pub­ agency Is not being cautious enough. environmental laws. lished research on frogs may force it to seek an extension of a court-or­ dered August deadline for issuing the Corapttcatlng matters further, a lawsuit against the company brought by factory workers who say they got Ms. 'Sass said that if the agency had recognized those links, "there would : be no safe levels” for atra­ bi'frinies rules. Atrazine’s major manufacturer, prostate cancer after being exposed to the chemical has provided new ammunition for critics challenging zine’s use. Syngenta, which Is the largest ag­ <3 * 05 Syngenta AG of Switzerland, now the agency's decision two years ago ribusiness company in the world, dis- lopsi NYC-WTC_000143033