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Common Weedkiller Also a Common Frogkiller?


Frogs, like bees, are dying out and we're not sure why. Scientists at UC Berkeley just found another important clue though:
Atrazine, one of the most commonly used and controversial weedkillers, can turn male frogs into females, researchers reported on Monday. The experiment is the first to show such complete effects of atrazine, which had been known to disrupt hormones and which is one of the chief suspects in the decline of amphibians such as frogs around the world.
It's not clear whether atrazine affects humans in a similar way, but the European Union decided to err on the side of caution and ban the chemical in 2004. Here in the States? Apparently we're just going to risk it for now. Oh, also Syngenta AG, the Swiss company that makes atrazine, spent $400,000 on Washington lobbying in the just the first quarter of 2008.

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