Ecojustice launched a lawsuit in 2013 on behalf of the David Suzuki Foundation and Équiterre which triggered a review of 23 pesticides banned in other countries, including atrazine, a powerful hormone disruptor that can cause harm at very low levels of exposure. Atrazine was banned in Europe in 2003 over concerns of widespread groundwater contamination.
There are currently 13 products containing atrazine that are permitted for use in Canada. They are commonly used on corn crops in Ontario, Quebec and parts of Manitoba. However, water contamination has also been reported in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.
This ongoing review of atrazine is a unique opportunity for Canada to ban this harmful pesticide. Regrettably, the regulator’s proposed decision would keep atrazine registered, despite a large body of scientific evidence that shows it to have harmful effects on human and ecological health. The science is alarming, and should be enough to initiate a full ban.
Source: Overwhelming evidence supports need for Canadian atrazine ban