EPA Ignoring Problem of Herbicide in Drinking Water -- Report

A recent report [1] criticizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for poor monitoring of drinking water for spikes in the level of atrazine [2], a dangerous herbicide. The analysis also finds widespread atrazine contamination of watersheds and drinking water in the Midwest and Southern United States. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published the report and called on EPA to improve watershed monitoring and testing of drinking water, and to create a website for the public to access the data. NRDC also calls for phasing out the use of atrazine.

Although banned in the European Union, atrazine is widely used in the United States, primarily on corn, but also on other crops, golf courses, and residential yards. Exposure at levels as low as 0.1 part per billion (ppb) have been linked [3] to serious environmental damage. The herbicide is an endocrine disruptor that poses huge risks to developing fetuses and children.

NRDC's proposals include strengthening the public's right to know about pollutants in the water. The conservation group was forced to acquire the data through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and a lawsuit. Unquestionably, these vital data on environmental hazards should be available freely and easily to the public. NRDC suggests:

[P]eople who live downstream of atrazine-treated fields have a right to know about high levels of atrazine contamination in their watersheds or drinking water systems. A publicly available website posting sampling data as it is analyzed and regular reports about spikes of atrazine contamination would be a strong step in the right direction, providing accessible information to the public."

The Washington Post reports [4] that according to Steve Owens, EPA's assistant administrator for the office of prevention, pesticides and toxic substances:

"The Obama EPA will take a hard look at atrazine and other substances," he said. "This thorough review will rely on transparency and sound science, including independent scientific peer review. We will continue to closely track new scientific developments and will determine whether a change in our regulatory position is appropriate."

Sound science is certainly needed at EPA and throughout the government. EPA should improve the monitoring of watersheds as well as drinking water facilities and make sure the data get into the hands of the public.