You May Be Eating Weed Killer and Not Know It

Here is a fact, most of us are eating weed killer called Atrazine and don't even know it.  It's on our produce, it's in our packaged food and it may be in your drinking water.

According to an article published in Mother Jones, Atrazine is the second commonly used herbicide in the United States, used to control weeds in the corn fields.  But it's also been showing up in streams (fish) and in drinking water (humans).  Even at extremely low levels, the EPA says it may be doing serious harm to fish, birds, mammals and just about every living thing.

According to Mother Jones, a panel of independent scientists found that there is "suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential" for ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, hairy-cell leukemia, and thyroid cancer, and that "there is inadequate evidence" to determine whether Atrazine causes prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancers, and childhood cancers."

While the US government is considering "reining in the use of the chemical," don't expect it to happen anytime soon.  The Environmental Protection Agency has been reviewing it since 2009 and some 8 years later, don't seem to be any closer to taking it off the US market.

So what are your thoughts?  How much evidence is hidden from us?  Why is our government slow to act on something that could be killing people?  Why are these chemicals not allowed in many European countries but still allowed in the United States?  While some people care, I guess not enough people do or are more trusting.  These are the things that can keep a good sleeper up at night.

[via Mother Jones]