title: Still present after all these years: persistence plus potential toxicity raise questions about the use of atrazine.
abstract: As one of the worlds' most heavily applied herbicides, atrazine is still a matter of controversy. Since it is regularly found in ground and drinking water, as well as in sea water and the ice of remote areas, it has become the subject of continuous concern due to its potential endocrine and carcinogenic activity. Current findings prove long-held suspicions that this compound persists for decades in soil. Due to the high amount applied annually all over the world, the soil burden of this compound is considered to be tremendous, representing a potential long-term threat to the environment. The persistence of chemicals such as atrazine has long been underestimated: Do we need to reconsider the environmental risk?
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere, ICG-4, Agrosphere, 52425 Jülich, Germany. n.d.jablonowski@fz-juelich.de
authors.forename: Nicolai David
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Jablonowski
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schäffer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burauel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001280:Atrazine / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D006540:Herbicides; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001280:Atrazine