Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water

Beyond the excerpts below, what's interesting about the article are the quotes from the manufacturer's representative. In a cavalier tone, he states that because the EPA years ago said there was no data to support atrizine being harmful to humans, no further testing is necessary. So in light of recent scientific studies suggesting there may be more to be learned about the effects of exposure, especially via drinking water, Syngenta would rather just sweep it all under the rug.

Perhaps this organized citizen action will have an impact on their corporate nonchalance.

clipped from huffpostfund.org A coalition of communities in six Midwestern states filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to force the manufacturer of a widely-used herbicide to pay for its removal from drinking water. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois by 16 cities in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa.  The communities allege that Swiss corporation Syngenta AG and its Delaware counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. reaped billions of dollars from the sale of atrazine while local taxpayers were left with the financial burden of filtering the chemical from drinking water. Atrazine has long been a controversial product. The European Union in 2004 banned its use, saying there was not enough information to prove its safety. The EPA recently  announced that it would be re-evaluating the herbicide’s ability to cause cancer and birth defects, as well as its potential to disrupt the hormone and reproductive systems of humans and amphibians.