Syngenta Responds To Activist Claims Regarding Atrazine - Backed by 6,000 studies and 50 years of use, atrazine can be used safely. For 50 years, sound science has governed U.S. regulatory decisions on atrazine, a well-studied herbicide that farmers rely upon worldwide to produce safe, healthy and abundant crops. Syngenta, as a science-based company, looks forward to a continuing, open and transparent safety review of atrazine by the U.S. EPA in 2010 and expects a positive outcome.
Syngenta Responds To Activist Claims Regarding Atrazine
By Steven Goldsmith
Jan 16, 2010 - 1:54:36 AM
Backed by
6,000 studies and 50 years of use, atrazine can be used safely
For 50 years,
sound science has governed U.S. regulatory decisions on atrazine, a
well-studied herbicide that farmers rely upon worldwide to produce safe,
healthy and abundant crops. Syngenta, as a science-based company, looks forward
to a continuing, open and transparent safety review of atrazine by the U.S. EPA
in 2010 and expects a positive outcome.
Last week,
two environmental activist groups escalated their attacks on Syngenta and
atrazine, urging a departure from the EPA’s methodical, science-based approach
to regulating crop protection products such as atrazine.
Syngenta believes these claims are baseless
and wrong.
These
activist groups urge the removal of safe, regulated crop protection tools
farmers rely on to produce safe and abundant food for the world.
It is estimated forty percent of the world’s
food supply would not exist without the use of such products.
Committed to
the highest ethical standards
“Syngenta is
committed to promoting and maintaining high standards of corporate
responsibility worldwide in an industry that is essential to global agriculture
and food production,” said Dr. Tim Pastoor, principal scientist for Syngenta
Crop Protection.
“The activist report is
an irresponsible and defamatory characterization of our company’s efforts to
implement high standards of stewardship for the safe, effective and
environmentally responsible use of its products. Our people are committed to
the highest level of ethical standards in all our business practices.”
Transparent
review of the best science
EPA's 12-year
evaluation completed in 2006 found atrazine poses "no harm that would
result to the general U.S. population, infants, children or other ...
consumers."
To reach its
conclusion, EPA required that Syngenta initiate studies defined by the EPA and
conducted using internationally recognized Good Laboratory Practices.
“Syngenta is
required by the EPA to conduct a long list of mandatory high-quality studies
under rigorous scrutiny by the agency,” said Pastoor.
“Every data point is available to verify the
studies were done properly and the science can be verified by EPA
scientists.
Recently cited studies by
activist organizations are not required to adhere to the same standards.
The EPA’s recent evaluation reviewed the best
science in its regulatory decision, so these activist calls for yet another review
of atrazine would only be repeating the work that has been done already.”
World-renowned
institutions including the World Health Organization, the National Cancer
Institute, and governments in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom all have
studied atrazine.
WHO said atrazine is
deemed “not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans,” placing it in the
same cancer risk category as substances such as tea, rubbing alcohol and
talc.
The Australian government said “it
is unlikely that atrazine is an endocrine disruptor in humans."
In addition,
Anne Lindsay, former Deputy Director, Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. EPA,
in testimony before the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee of the
Minnesota House of Representatives, said "EPA has taken an especially
close look at the research conducted by Dr. Tyrone Hayes which reports that
atrazine adversely affects sexual development in frogs, causing a mixture of
sex organs in a single animal. EPA has concluded that the existing data are
insufficient to demonstrate that atrazine causes such effects. The Agency's
conclusions are supported by the independent, expert peer review of the SAP
(Science Advisory Panel)."
Thousands of
farmers rely on atrazine for more than half of U.S. corn
“Farmers have
told us again and again to fight for atrazine, which is an important tool in
growing affordable and abundant food, and we will,” Pastoor said.
“Atrazine is relied on to control weeds on
more than half of U.S. corn, and a 2003 EPA review said ‘the total or national
economic impact resulting from the loss of atrazine to control grass and
broadleaf weeds in corn, sorghum and sugar cane would be in excess of $2
billion per year if atrazine were unavailable to growers.’ That would have a
devastating effect on our farm economy.”
Syngenta, the maker of atrazine,
is one of the world's leading companies dedicated to bringing plant potential
to life. Through world-class science we help to increase crop productivity,
protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.
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