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Green Tip of the Week: Eliminate atrazine By Megan Fornuto Frog populations have been declining at an alarming rate. You can help by eliminating the chemical atrazine. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “Atrazine is a toxic pesticide that threatens wildlife and people across the country in some horrific ways – it’s found in our water supply and can cause endocrine disruption, birth defects, fertility problems and certain cancers … atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide contaminant of ground, surface and drinking water. It is also extremely persistent in the environment- atrazine is still detectable in France even though its last application occurred 15 years ago.” Atrazine was banned in the EU including Switzerland, home of Syngenta, the company that manufactures it. The chemical is so widespread that almost 94 percent of drinking water in the United States has some degree of atrazine. Find out if you use the chemical on your property and dispose of it properly at the ACUA Hazardous Waste Collection, coming up 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sept. 14, Oct. 12 and Nov. 2. Tell your family, friends and neighbors about it, and don’t forget to tell your landscaper or property manager. Then see www.atrazinelovers.com for information. Check out the Center for Biological Diversity and sign the petition to have atrazine banned by the EPA. Let’s keep our water safe and protect our frog population. Think about it: frogs develop in water… so do we. This tip is courtesy of the Task Force for a Sustainable Galloway, Megan Fornuto, outreach correspondent, Go Green Galloway.
©2013 The Galloway Current. This article originally appeared here.
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