Atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States, was found in drinking water at unsafe levels in four states: Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Ohio (OH), and Kansas (KS).
An analysis performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the yearly average levels of atrazine in drinking water violated the federal standard at least ten times, according to the Huffington Post.
To make matters worse, over 40 water systems in those states showed levels of atrazine that would have triggered automatic notification of customers, but that notification never occurred.
Research indicates atrazine may be dangerous at lower concentrations than previously thought, according to the NY Times. Concentrations that meet current federal standards may be associated with birth defects, low birth weights and menstrual problems.
Our law firm, which only handles injury law, has represented people seriously hurt by toxic substances they unknowingly ingested, so this discovery requires action; an investigation is warranted. This type of dubious behavior from the EPA is unacceptable. Citizens have the right to know if their drinking water is contaminated with a toxic substance.
“This is an issue of the EPA not being forthright about what they know,” said University of Michigan neuroendocrinologist Robert Denver, who worked on the EPA’s scientific advisory panels on atrazine.
Here’s a video illustrating the potential negative health impact of atrazine…
Fortunately, unsafe levels of atrazine were not found in Virginia (VA) and other states, but that doesn’t mean our drinking water is safe. Given the questionable actions taken by the EPA, we need to investigate further how our drinking water is examined and who should report those findings.
About the Editors: Shapiro & Appleton& Duffan personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.
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