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When pesticides are applied to the land, they often get into our lakes and groundwater. Agricultural pesticides have been detected in approximately one out of every three private drinking water wells in Wisconsin.1 In addition to drinking water, groundwater also supplies much of the water to our lakes. To highlight the effects of pesticides on the health of frogs and people, we focus on two common pesticides: atrazine and chlorothalonil. Atrazine • Atrazine is a common corn herbicide that has been
used for decades in Wisconsin. 1.7 million pounds of atrazine were applied to corn in Wisconsin in 2010.2
• Atrazine was detected in over 90% of 53 lakes tested in Wisconsin. Lakes surrounded by agriculture had the highest atrazine concentrations.3
• The European Union banned atrazine use in 2004. • Some people develop reproductive difficulties and
cardiovascular damage from drinking water over the atrazine standard (3 ppb) for many years.4
• In 2011, a large group of scientists announced: • Male tadpoles exposed to atrazine at 0.10 ppb
(30-fold lower than the drinking water standard) develop both male and female sex organs.6
To help frogs and people… • Choose food grown without pesticides, especially for
foods with high pesticide levels. Wisconsin farms that don’t use synthetic pesticides are listed at datcp.wi.gov/uploads/Farms/pdf/2011OrganicFarmsCounty.pdf
• Choose fruits and vegetables from the Clean 15 • Don’t use pesticides in your home or yard • Don’t eat frog legs
How Pesticides Affect Frogs and People
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30 28
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3 2 2 1 1 1 1 <1 <1
Average pounds of pesticides applied per acre in Wisconsin2
No pesticide data available for
cranberries, which are grown on
19,700 acres in WI
1Wisconsin Groundwater Quality: Agricultural Chemicals in Wisconsin Groundwater. 2008. http://datcp.wi.gov/uploads/Environment/pdf/ARMPub180.pdf Well Water Quality Viewer: Private Well Data for Wisconsin. www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/watershed/Pages/wellwaterviewer.aspx 2Wisconsin- Major Chemical Use – Corn and Potatoes. 2010 www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/Miscellaneous/chemical_corn_pot_2010.pdf Wisconsin Pesticide Use. 2006. www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/Miscellaneous/pest_use_06.pdf 3Allen, Paula. Volunteer Monitoring of Atrazine in Wisconsin Lakes. Lake Tides, Volume 31 No. 3 Summer 2006, http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/laketides/vol31-3/Text-only.htm#8 4Basic Information about Atrazine in Drinking Water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/atrazine.cfm
5 Hayes, Tyrone B. et al. Demasculinization and feminization of male gonads by atrazine: Consistent effects across vertebrate classes. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 127, Issues 1–2, October 2011, Pages 64-73. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21419222
6 Hayes, T., et al. 2002 Feminization of male frogs in the wild. Nature, 419:895-896. Hayes, T., et al. 2003 Atrazine-Induced Hermaphroditism at 0.1 ppb in American Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens): Laboratory and Field Evidence. Environmental Health Perspectives 111:568-575. www.ehponline.org/members/2003/5932/5932.html 7McMahon TA, et al. 2011 The Fungicide Chlorothalonil Is Nonlinearly Associated with Corticosterone Levels, Immunity, and Mortality in Amphibians. Environmental Health Perspectives 119(8): http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002956 8 What’s on my Food? based on USDA data www.whatsonmyfood.org/pesticide.jsp?pesticide=164 9USDA-NASS Wisconsin – 2012 Fruit Summary www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/Crops/ann_fruit_summary.pdf
10Simplifying the pesticide risk equation: The organic option, 2008 www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=125
Created by: Lynn Markham Land Use Specialist 715-346-3879 [email protected]
Atrazine demasculinizes male testicles producing testicular lesions associated with reduced sperm numbers in fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals and induces partial or complete feminization in fish, amphibians, and reptiles.5
Which U.S. grown crops have the highest and lowest pesticide health risks?
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*Circled produce are large crops in Wisconsin
Chlorothalonil • Chlorothalonil, the most widely used fungicide in the
U.S., killed nearly every amphibian at concentrations similar to those measured in the environment.7
• Chlorthalonil is likely a cancer-causing substance in humans according to the EPA.
• In Wisconsin, 475,000 pounds of chlorothalonil were used on 62,500 acres of potatoes in 2010.2
• Based on food sampling by U.S. Department of Agriculture, cranberries have higher levels of chlorothalonil than any other food tested. 8 Wisconsin grows more cranberries than any other state and had 19,700 acres of cranberries in 2012.9
Which crops are planted near your lake or well?
