These findings are consistent with the Agricultural Health Study, a large multiyear study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as well as EPA. Other government agencies and independent organizations — including the World Health Organization and regulatory agencies in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — have reached similar conclusions.

To read the abstract or access the full paper, click here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22914097.

University of Missouri undergraduates, working with faculty from the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, investigated whether working the herbicide atrazine into crop soils would reduce runoff that could make its way into drinking water systems.

Current regulations require that drinking water contain no more than three parts per billion of atrazine. While atrazine is one of the cheapest and most effective herbicides available, it is also highly water-soluble. If misapplied, the product can quickly run off of fields and into watersheds.

In investigating solutions to these issues, the students created three different demonstration plots to examine what tools exist to help work the herbicide into soil where it is less likely to run off, and to prevent soil erosion and potential contamination via soil loss.

Please click here to read this post in full at hpj.com

For once, we agree with Stephen Tillery. The settlement that he browbeat Syngenta Corp. into accepting — to make him go away and put an end to eight years of legal haggling — is “more than fair…”

Tillery filed suit against Syngenta in Madison County Circuit Court in 2004, alleging that atrazine runoff from farmland was contaminating the water supplies of several southern Illinois towns. In 2010, he sued the company in federal court on behalf of water districts in six Midwestern states.

Using typical Tillery tactics, the St. Louis attorney made life so miserable for Syngenta that the company eventually was “persuaded” to settle and stop the hemorrhaging of litigation fees…

Please click here to read this post in full at madisonrecord.com.

Post-settlement Statement 2012 10 03
FINAL Court Order-Settlement 10-23-12

…We reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency and Panel reports in the context of all the epidemiologic studies on the specific cancers of interest. A weight-of-evidence approach leads to the conclusion that there is no causal association between atrazine and cancer and that occasional positive results can be attributed to bias or chance. Atrazine appears to be a good candidate for a category of herbicides with a probable absence of cancer risk. Atrazine should be treated for regulatory and public health purposes as an agent unlikely to pose a cancer risk to humans.

Please click here to read this abstract and, or access the full study from journals.lww.com.

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These findings are consistent with the conclusions of the Agricultural Health Study, a large multi-year study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and EPA, as well as  regulatory authorities worldwide, including the World Health Organization and government agencies in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

This settlement ends the business uncertainty and expense of protracted litigation surrounding this critical product that has been the backbone of weed control for more than 50 years. It allows farmers to continue to realize the benefits of atrazine to agriculture, the economy, and the environment.

The scientific facts continue to make it clear that no one ever has been or could be exposed to enough atrazine in water to affect their health. Despite eight years of litigation, the plaintiffs were never able to show that atrazine has ever caused any adverse health effects at levels that people could be exposed in the real world. Most water systems have never detected significant amounts of atrazine in their water.

This settlement was a business decision that is good for the company and the farmers who depend on atrazine, as well as our retailers, distributors, partners and others who have been inconvenienced by this ongoing and burdensome litigation.

The value of atrazine is clear. It benefits American farmers by up to $3.3 billion and supports up to 85,000 American jobs related to farming annually. Atrazine helps protect the environment and critical wildlife habitat by enabling conservation tillage and no-till farming methods that have reduced soil erosion by up to 85 million tons each year. There is no substitute for atrazine, which is used in more than 60 countries and meets the most stringent safety requirements in the world.

Syngenta and attorneys for several community water systems have agreed to settle litigation related to the herbicide atrazine in order to end the business uncertainty and expense of protracted legal proceedings.

Syngenta acknowledges no liability and continues to stand by the safety of atrazine. The scientific evidence continues to make it clear that no one ever has or ever could be exposed to enough atrazine in water to affect their health. The plaintiffs acknowledge that they have not commissioned and are not aware of any new scientific studies relating to the safety of atrazine.

The proposed settlement agreement which requires court approval was filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois on May 24, 2012. Water systems joining the class will be eligible for payments from a $105 million settlement funded by Syngenta.

This settlement is good for the company and the farmers who depend on atrazine, as well as our retailers, distributors, partners, and others who have been inconvenienced by this ongoing and burdensome litigation.

The value of atrazine is clear. It benefits American farmers by up to $3.3 billion and supports up to 85,000 American jobs related to farming annually. Atrazine helps protect the environment and critical wildlife habitat by reducing soil erosion by up to 85 million tons each year. There is no substitute for atrazine, which is used in more than 60 countries and meets the most stringent safety requirements in the world.

Related documents and links:

Atrazine settlement agreement and exhibits (PDF)
Atrazine settlement agreement key facts (PDF)
Joint press release on litigation settlement (PDF)
AtrazineSettlement.com  - settlement information website

Syngenta today announced the launch of a new website, “Saving the Oasis,” featuring three short documentaries that tell the story of how atrazine helps modern farmers protect precious water and soil resources while aiding the environment and economy. The site also contains information about other Syngenta efforts that help farmers preserve water.

Agronomists, scientists and other experts featured in the movies present factual proof of atrazine’s positive environmental effects and safety. The films also include interviews with real farming families who rely on atrazine to help produce enough crops to feed the world.

“The documentaries illustrate that modern farmers are innovators and environmentalists,” said Vern Hawkins, Syngenta region director, North America. “They show how today’s farmers are protecting wildlife, preventing soil erosion and improving water quality — all while dramatically increasing their production.”

Atrazine is one of the most thoroughly tested, trusted and effective herbicides, and used in 60 countries. Atrazine enables a modern farming practice called no-till, where farmers plant crops and control weeds without plowing or turning the soil…

Please click here to read this post in full at prnewswire.com.

The documentary movie “Last Call at the Oasis” dramatizes a real crisis—the global shortage of clean water.

But the film gets key facts wrong about atrazine, a herbicide that is not only safe, but actually protects clean water and saves land from cultivation. If not corrected, this negative spin could lead to policies that wind up harming the environment…

Please click here to read this post in full at savingtheoasis.com.

http://www.savingtheoasis.com/