SYNGENTA - Huffington Post Investigative Fund

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry-Backed Studies

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Agency Says Company's Evidence 'Scientifically More Robust' than Independent Research

Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review. Read more »

U.S. Congressman Renews Attempts to Ban Controversial Herbicide Atrazine

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:41:27 +0000

A member of Congress is seeking to ban one of the nation's most widely-used herbicides, which has turned up in drinking water in some states. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is for the second time proposing legislation that would outlaw any use or trade of atrazine. Read more »

IRE Awards Finalist

Nick Penniman — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:03:25 +0000

Investigative Reporters and Editors recently announced its 2009 award recipients. Our story about a herbicide called atrazine was a finalist. Atrazine is the second-most-widely-used herbicide in America; farmers saturate their crops with it. As our reporting shows, it may cause a significant risk to humans, animals and the environment. Read more »

Nation’s Largest Private Water Utility Joins Lawsuit Against Herbicide Maker

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:07:13 +0000

The nation’s largest private water utility company has joined a federal lawsuit that aims to force the manufacturer of atrazine, a widely-used herbicide, to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:54:48 +0000

Federal Lawsuit Seeks Funding to Remove Atrazine from Water Supply

A coalition of communities in six Midwestern states filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to force the manufacturer of a widely-used herbicide to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

In Reversal of Bush Policy, EPA Launches New Study of Atrazine’s Health Effects

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:59:47 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency today reversed its stance on the potential hazards of atrazine, one of the most commonly-used herbicides in the country, saying it will re-examine how the chemical affects human health.

EPA officials said in a statement that the agency will take a close look at the weed-killer’s potential to cause cancer, as well as birth defects, low birth weight, and premature births. Agency scientists also will conduct research for the first time examining whether atrazine interferes with the hormone and reproductive systems of humans and amphibians. Read more »

EPA's Failure to Publicize Drinking Water Data Prompts Rethinking in Agency, Congress

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:55:56 +0000

There is some evidence that Congress -- and the Environmental Protection Agency -- are rethinking their policies on a commonly used weed-killer after disclosures that the EPA failed to notify the public about high levels of the herbicide in drinking water. Read more »

Herbicide Maker Asks that Lobbying be Excluded from Class Action Lawsuit

Danielle Ivory — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:36:48 +0000

Lawyers representing the maker of the herbicide atrazine are asking that documents related to the company’s lobbying and trade association activities be excluded from a class action lawsuit being filed by some Illinois water utilities. Read more »

EPA Fails to Inform Public About Weed-Killer in Drinking Water

Danielle Ivory — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:09 +0000

One of the nation’s most widely-used herbicides has been found to exceed federal safety limits in drinking water in four states, but water customers have not been told and the Environmental Protection Agency has not published the results. Read more »