About 80 million pounds of the weed killer Atrazine is applied annually to crops in the United States, which, according to a study published Monday, means castration for a hell of a lot of frogs. According to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 90 percent of male frogs exposed to Atrazine have “low testosterone levels, decreased breeding gland size, feminized laryngeal development, suppressed mating behavior, reduced sperm production, and decreased fertility.” To add to that, about 10 percent of exposed male frogs actually lose their manhood altogether, and develop into females. And although the study focused on the amphibian species, it did point out at Atrazine exposure in humans leads to low sperm count and infertility.
Maybe this is what the EPA needs to know to finally ban the herbicide in the U.S, considering that four years ago, the agency argued that there was “insufficient data” to determine whether the chemical really impairs the development of frogs. Hopefully the study will prompt some action… especially in light of the fact that worldwide frog populations are in decline, due in some part to the widespread use of the castrating chemical Atrazine.
[Via: Grist]
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