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Photo Courtesy of: ENN environmental  News Network


The harmful chemical Atrazine has been banned in the European Union since 2004. Although nearly 80 million pounds are currently being used in the United States every year. For crops such as corn, sugar, and rice. In June the EPA held a FIFRA SAP (scientific advisory panel) meeting. In which this meeting of the minds came to the conclusion of reviewing the past recommendations, and reports. The Environmental Protection Agency is said to use these sources and other information to revise state and health codes. This will take place in 2013, a specific date has not been scheduled.


Sources: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/44505
             http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/atrazine/atrazine_update.htm

Where is TMNT when you need them?

photo courtesy of: Oyundayim.com

     Most children grow up playing simple games like hide and go seek, or freeze tag. Then there is me, a only child that resorted to exploring my surroundings, and new creatures I hadn't yet learned about. Every child has played with, or caught frogs before. Attempting to catch or sometimes even run from natures tiny creations is a common part of peoples childhood's. It saddens me to think that one third of amphibians worldwide are in danger of extinction due to the use of Atrazine on crops. Reported by the Los Angeles Times in January of 2006. They also reported 1,856 species known are in danger of extinction. If only the teenage mutant ninja turtles could step in and fight against the crime taking place in our backyards. Frogs are not the only Amphibians being effected by this blatant disregard for wildlife. Salamanders, Toads, and Caecilians have been effected by this toxic herbicide. Tyrone B. Hayes and his group of colleagues reported the following statement in 2003,......
"Given these adverse effects and the continued increase and use of pesticides in agriculture over the past 50 years, it is likely that pesticides have played and will continue to play a role in amphibian declines,"

Hopefully our children will one day be able to play with the frogs as we once did.


Sources: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jan/25/nation/na-frogs25
              Tyrone B. Hayes on the Environmental Health Perspectives

"Did I do that"?!

photo courtesy of  http://www.syngentacropprotection.com/cropmain.aspx


Syngenta a leading herbicide company for crops across the nation, was under a slight amount of hot water beginning in 2008. As a rebuttal to the negative press from that year.Syngenta published on its website proof of their innocence, by a group of researchers hired to clear the companies name of any ill-gotten press. Even though an abundant amount of scientist, and researchers have found destroyed reproductive organs. After Amphibians had been exposed to the substance. It is completely understandable that Syngenta wants to protect it's lively hood. After all their main priority is protecting crops not wildlife.

Sources:   http://www.atrazine.com/Amphibians/atrazine_amphibians.aspx

African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

Photo courtesy of Tyrone B. Hayes

Xenopus Laevis also known as the African Clawed Frog, has been a commonly tested laboratory frog. Recently this frog has been tested for the effects of Atrazine. Which is a common ingredient in Pesticides, and Herbicides. Science Daily has been covering the press of this negative effect on amphibians since 2008. Science Daily's regurgitation of University of California Berkeley's professor Tyrone B. Hayes research publications. Hayes study show that seventy-five percent of frogs effected by Atrazine were named chemically castrated. These frogs affected by the herbicide Atrazine are reproductively destroyed. Males were transformed into females, causing the population to decrease rapidly.

sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100301151927.htm
             http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/03/01/frogs/

Introduction to Atrazine and Frogs

photo courtesy of: (http://www.wall321.com/Animals/Amphibians/frogs_amphibians_1600x1200_wallpaper_57512)

This blog is dedicated to informing people on the effects of Herbicides on our Eco-systems.  Every decade mankind seems to unknowingly destroy it's environment.When creating a simple herbicide for weeds such as velvet-leaf. We failed to think of how this effects the Eco-system. Atrazine is a chemical commonly used on farms to protect corn, and sugar cane crops from weeds. But Atrazine also causes a negative impact on amphibians sexual development. While following this blog I hope you will learn to connect the causes and effects that occur in our Eco-Systems.