The Ohio AgriBusiness Association recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern about a petition from “Save the Frogs” asking the agency to ban the production and use of atrazine.
The petition cites studies that it claims points to atrazine’s toxic effects on male frogs, but organizations including the EPA, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and the World Health Organization reviewed the herbicide, and studies by the EPA and several independent laboratories have indicated no effects by atrazine on amphibians. In 2010, the EPA stated, “EPA believes that no additional testing is warranted to address this issue.” Therefore OABA believes the Save the Frogs petition does not justify a change in EPA's 2010 conclusion or prove a need for additional regulatory action.
To read OABA’s full comments, click here. This comment period for this issue is still open. If you use atrazine as part of your business operation, there is still time to submit your comments to the EPA. All comments should be submitted to EPA docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0586 by November 14, 2011.