I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4318 

To prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of any 

pesticide containing atrazine. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2012 

Mr. ELLISON (for himself, Mr. KUCINICH, and Mr. MORAN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 

in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and 

Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or 

exportation of any pesticide containing atrazine. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The United States annually uses 

6 60,000,000 to 80,000,000 pounds of atrazine, a 

7 weed-killing pesticide. 


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1 (2) The toxicity of atrazine is well documented 

2 and has shown to have adverse endocrine effects in 

3 amphibians, mammals, and humans. There is evi4 dence that atrazine exposure is associated with low 

5 sperm counts and poor motility in exposed adult 

6 men, and that prebirth atrazine exposure is associ7 ated with small birth weight and abnormal develop8 ment of the gut wall in infants. In laboratory mam9 mals, exposure is associated with abnormal repro10 ductive system development, impaired prostate gland 

11 formation, and abnormal breast tissue development. 

12 In aquatic wildlife, exposure is associated with ab13 normal reproductive system development, impaired 

14 reproduction, and impaired immune system function. 

15 (3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

16 acknowledges that atrazine may have potential ad17 verse effects on fish, such as organ tissue disease, 

18 disruption to the endocrine and olfactory systems, 

19 and reduced reproductive function. 

20 (4) The United States Geological Survey found 

21 atrazine in approximately 75 percent of stream 

22 waters and 40 percent of all ground water samples 

23 from agricultural areas tested. According to data 

24 from the Environmental Protection Agency Ecologi25 cal Watershed Monitoring Program, the surface 


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1 water sampled in the Midwestern and Southern 

2 United States suffers from pervasive atrazine con3 tamination. Sampling of watersheds between 2004 

4 and 2006 showed that all 40 watersheds tested had 

5 detectable levels of atrazine and 25 watersheds had 

6 average concentrations above 1 ppb. While these av7 erage elevated concentrations of atrazine are worri8 some, high peak concentrations may also be dan9 gerous. Nine watersheds had at least one sample 

10 showing levels above 50 ppb, and four watersheds 

11 had levels above 100 ppb. 

12 (5) According to data from the Environmental 

13 Protection Agency Atrazine Monitoring Program, 

14 high levels of atrazine are also evident in drinking 

15 water systems. More than 90 percent of the samples 

16 taken in 139 water systems had measurable levels of 

17 atrazine in both 2003 and 2004. Three systems had 

18 annual averages exceeding 3 ppb. 

19 (6) In 1991, Germany and Italy banned the use 

20 of atrazine. In 2003, European regulators an21 nounced a ban on the pesticide throughout the Euro22 pean Union. 

23 (7) The Department of Agriculture estimates 

24 that a ban on atrazine would result in crop losses of 

25 only 1.19 percent and decrease corn acreage by only 


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1 2.3 percent. Since banning atrazine nearly 20 years 

2 ago, both Italy and Germany have not experienced 

3 a reduction of corn productivity or total acreage of 

4 land in production. 

5 SEC. 2. ATRAZINE PROHIBITION. 

6 Notwithstanding any other law, the use, production, 

7 sale, importation, or exportation of atrazine or an atrazine 

8 product is prohibited. 

9 SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT. 

10 Any person who violates section 2 shall be fined 

11 under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not 

12 more than 2 years, or both. 

13 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) ATRAZINE.—The term ‘‘atrazine’’ or ‘‘active 

16 ingredient atrazine’’ refers to the pesticide chemical 

17 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-tri18 azine. 

19 (2) ATRAZINE PRODUCT.—The term ‘‘atrazine 

20 product’’ means any pesticide containing the active 

21 ingredient atrazine, as identified on the Environ22 mental Protection Agency registered label, either 

23 alone or in a combination with other pesticides. 

Æ 


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