Herbicides atrazine

More controversially, endocrine disruption as a consequence of exposure to the herbicide atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamine-6-isopropylamine-s-triazine), one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, has also been hypothesized to explain various adverse biological effects in frog populations in the United States. Exposure to atrazine in the laboratory at high concentrations, far exceeding those found in the natural environment, has been reported to induce external deformities in the anuran species Rana pipiens, Rana sylvatica, and Bufo americanus (Allran and Karasov 2001). Studies by Hayes et al. have suggested that atrazine can induce hermaphroditism in amphibians at environmentally relevant concentrations (Hayes et al. 2002 Hayes et al. 2003). Laboratory studies with atrazine also indicated the herbicide... 

Hayes, T.B., Collins, A., and Lee, M. et al. (2002). Hermaphroditic, demasculinized frogs after exposure to the herbicide atrazine at low ecologically relevant doses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99, 5476-5480. 

The persistence of the N-nitrosamine that may be formed in soil will depend on a host of conditions, such as soil type, organic matter content, clay content, pH, the microflora present in the soil, moisture content and temperature, etc. Superimposed on all these factors will be the chemical nature of the pesticide. The N-nitrosoatrazine ( ) formed in soil from the herbicide atrazine ( ) was shown to be rapidly disappeared (1). Thus, in soil W-nitrosoatrazine was observed after one week, but was absent 4 and 10 weeks later (Table IV). In contrast, N-nitroso-butralin (11 ) persisted much longer than N-nitrosoatrazine (9) under the same conditions (Table V) and was still detectable after 6 months (3). Our studies demonstrated that N-nitrosoglyphosate is persistent in the soil. Fox soil treated with 20 ppm of nitrite nitrogen and 740 ppm glyphosate contained about 7 ppm of N-nitrosoglyphosate even after 140 days (6). 

Structurally related compounds may cross-react with the antibody, yielding inaccurate results. In screening for the herbicide alachlor in well water by immunoassay, a number of false positives were reported when compared with gas chromatography (GC) analysis. A metabolite of alachlor was found to be present in the samples and it was subsequently determined that the cross-reactivity by this metabolite accounted for the false-positive results. On the other hand, cross-reactivity by certain structural analogs may not be an issue. For example, in an assay for the herbicide atrazine, cross-reactivity by propazine is 196% because of atrazine and propazine field use... 

Phytodegradation Soils, groundwater, landfill leachate, land application of wastewater Herbicides (atrazine, alachlor) Aromatics (BTEX) Chlorinated aliphatics (TCE) Nutrients (NO, NH4+, PO3) Ammunition wastes (TNT, RDX) Phreatophyte trees (poplar, willow, cottonwood, aspen) Grasses (rye, Bermuda, sorghum, fescue) Legumes (clover, alfalfa, cowpeas)... 

This example illustrates the difficulty of showing pesticides mutagenic activity. For example, mutagenic activity was clearly expressed not in the sym-triazine herbicides atrazine and cyanazine, but in their transformation products formed in corn husks ... 

Cossarini-Dunier, M., A. Demael, J.L. Riviere, and D. Lepot. 1988. Effects of oral doses of the herbicide atrazine on carp (Cyprinus carpio). Ambio 17 401-405. 

Dewey, S.L. 1986. Effects of the herbicide atrazine on aquatic insect community structure and emergence. Ecology 67 148-162. 

Gunkel, G. 1981. Bioaccumulation of a herbicide (atrazine, s-triazine) in the whitefish (Coregonus fera J.) uptake and distribution of the residue in fish. Arch. Hydmbiol. Suppl. 59(2/3) 252-287. 

Gunkel, G. and B. Streit. 1980. Mechanisms of a herbicide (atrazine, s-triazine) in a freshwater mollusc (Ancylus fluviatilis Mull.) and a fish (Coregonus fera Jurine). Water Res. 14 1573-1584. 

Karlander, E.P., J.M. Mayasich, and D.E. Terlizzi. 1983. Effects of the Herbicide Atrazine on an Oyster-Food Organism. Univ. Maryland Water Resour. Res. Cen., Tech. Rep. 73. 20 pp. Univ. Maryland, College Park. 

Kulshrestha, G., N.T. Yaduraju, and V.S. Mani. 1982. The relative toxicity of the s-triazine herbicides atrazine and simazine to crops. Jour. Environ. Sci. Health B17 341-354. 

Lay, J.P., A. Muller, L. Peichl, W. Klein, and F. Korte. 1984. Long-term effects of the herbicides atrazine and dichlobenil upon the phytoplankton density and physico-chemical conditions in compartments of a freshwater pond. Chemosphere 13 821-832. 

Lu, T.W., L. Lambert, D. Hastings, and D. Banning. 1980. Enrichment of the agricultural herbicide atrazine in the microsurface water of an estuary. Bull. Environ, Contam. Toxicol. 24 41 I -414. 

Mayasich, J.M., E.P. Karlander, and D.E. Terlizzi, Jr. 1986. Growth responses of Nannochloris oculata Droop and Phaeodactylum tricomutum Bohlin to the herbicide atrazine as influenced by light intensity and temperature. Aquat. Toxicol. 8 175-184. 

Santa Maria, C., J. Moreno, and J.L. Lopez-Campos. 1987. Hepatotoxicity induced by the herbicide atrazine in the rat. Jour. Appl. Toxicol. 7 373-378. 

Schocken, M.J. and M.K. Speedie. 1982. Interaction of higher marine fungi with the herbicide atrazine. II. 

Stratton, G.W. 1984. Effects of the herbicide atrazine and its degradation products, alone and in combination, on phototrophic microorganisms. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 13 35-42. 

Wilson, M.P, E.P. Savage, D.D. Adrian, M.J. Aaronson, T.J. Keefe, D.H. Hamar, and J.T. Tessari. 1987. Groundwater transport of the herbicide, atrazine, Weld County, Colorado. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 39 807-814. 

Wu, T.L. 1980. Dissipation of the herbicides atrazine and alachlor in a Maryland cornfield. Jour. Environ. Qual. 9 459-465. 

Subagja, J. and R.J. Snider. 1981. The side effects of the herbicide atrazine and paraquat upon Folsomia Candida and Tullbergia granulata (Insecta, Collembola). Pedobiol. 22 141-152. 

In the United States, about 80% of the 23 million kg of technical PCP produced annually — or about 46% of worldwide production — is used mainly for wood preservation, especially utility poles (Pignatello etal. 1983 Kinzell etal. 1985 Zischke etal. 1985 Choudhury etal. 1986 Mikesell and Boyd 1986 USPHS 1994). It is the third most heavily used pesticide, preceded only by the herbicides atrazine and alachlor (Kinzell et al. 1981). Pentachlorophenol is a restricted-use pesticide and is no longer available for home use (USPHS 1994). Before it became a restricted-use pesticide, annual environmental releases of PCP from production and use were 0.6 million kg to the atmosphere from wood preservation plants and cooling towers, 0.9 million kg to land from wood preservation use, and 17,000 kg to aquatic ecosystems in runoff waters of wood treatment plants (USPHS 1994). There are about 470 wood preservative facilities in the United States, scattered among 45 states. They are concentrated in the South, Southeast, and Northwest — presumably due to the availability of preferred timber species in those regions (Cirelli 1978). Livestock facilities are often constructed of wood treated with technical PCP about 50% of all dairy farms in Michigan used PCP-treated wood in the construction of various components of livestock facilities (Kinzell et al. 1985). The chemical is usually applied to wood products after dilution to 5% with solvents such as mineral spirits, No. 2 fuel oil, or kerosene. More than 98% of all wood processed is treated with preservative under pressure about 0.23 kg of PCP is needed to preserve 1 cubic foot of wood (Cirelli 1978). Lumber treated with PCP retains its natural appearance, has little or no odor, and can be painted as readily as natural wood (Wood et al. 1983). 

Cotterill [100] studied the effect of ammonium nitrate fertilizer on the electron capture or nitrogen specific gas chromatographic determination of Triazine plus other types of herbicide (Atrazine(2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino, 1,3,5 triazine), Simazine (2-chloro-4.6 bis ethyl amino 1,3,5 triazine), Linuron (3,4,-chlorophenyl-l-methoxy-l-methyl urea), Metribuzin, Triallate and Phorate) residues in soil. 

Accumulation of agricultural chemicals in soils may lead to formation of nitrosamines. The herbicides atrazine and butralin were found to form nitrosamines only in the presence of high levels of nitrite. Active uptake of NDMA and NDEA by wheat and barley has been published however, no conclusive evidence has been reported80. 

Goswami, K.P. and Green, R.E. Microbial degradation of the herbicide atrazine and its 2-hydroxy analog in submerged soils. 

Hance, R.J. Soil organic matter and the adsorption and decomposition of the herbicides atrazine and lirmron, SoU Biol. Biochem., 6 39-42, 1974. 

Crop protection chemicals are an important group of contaminants that exhibit biologically mediated transformation in aerobic or anaerobic subsurface environments. We consider two well-known contaminants the insecticide parathion, which is an organophosphate compound, and the herbicide atrazine, from the triazine group. 

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