From: "Jessica L. Poppe" <Jessica.Poppe@tufts.edu> 

To: Elizabeth Mendez/DC/USEPA/US@EPA 

Date: 02/25/2011 07:44 AM 

Subject: Questions about atrazine 

Hello, 

My name is Jessica Poppe, and I am a senior at Tufts University. I am 

currently in a public health engineering class, doing a semester-long 

project on pregnant women's exposure to atrazine from drinking water. 

While looking through the Scientific Advisory Panel meetings for the 

Reevaluation of Human Health Effects of Atrazine, I came across your 

name. I was wondering if you might be willing to answer a few questions 

by e-mail (or on the phone)about atrazine exposure for my project. 

Thank you for your time, 

Jessica Poppe 

jessica.poppe@tufts.edu 

978-844-1511 

From: "Jessica L. Poppe" [Jessica.Poppe@tufts.edu] 

Sent: 02/28/2011 03:50 PM EST 

To: Anna Lowit 

Subject: Re: Questions about atrazine 

Dear Anna, 

Thank you so much for looking at my questions! I'm not sure whether you 

will be able to answer them, but I would love to hear your opinion on 

the reevaluation of atrazine and its health effects on humans, 

particularly pregnant women. 

The assignment for my project was to select an environmental hazard in 

a discrete setting with a specific population, and I decided to 

investigate atrazine in drinking water and the potential effects on 

pregnant women. The first part of the project (already completed) was 

to write a hazard narrative and give an overview of the hazard. Now, I 

am working on writing a risk assessment and vulnerability assessment 

for atrazine. This part of the project focuses on the professional and 

scientific knowledge about the severity of the hazard and what makes 

the particular population vulnerable to the hazard. Later in the 

semester, we will analyze the risk management methods in place to 

control the hazard (existing policies, health education, controls at 

the source, along the path, and at the personal level). 

My Questions: 

At what stage in the process is the reevaluation of atrazine at currently? 

Where there any studies or research in particular that prompted the 

reevaluation or are playing a particularly important role in the 

reevaluation? 

Does the EPA have an approximation for the number of people exposed to 

concentrations of atrazine (maybe the population within the 1,172 

watersheds with potential vulnerability)? 

What groups do you think are most vulnerable to the health effects of 
atrazine? 

Is there any current information on the mechanism of how atrazine might 

specifically affect pregnant women? Since atrazine seems to affect the 

hypothalamic pituitary axis, is it know what affect these changes could 

have on a fetus? 

Are there any pre-existing health conditions that are known to possibly 

intensify the health effects of atrazine on any population? 

Has atrazine caused any major potential health effects outside of the 

reproductive or endocrine systems? 

Thank you so much for your help. It would be really helpful to me if 

you could e-mail me back for any of the questions you are able to 

answer. Since I am in class for most of the day during the week, I'm a 

little harder to reach by phone (978-844-1511), but I should be 

available for most of the day on Thursday and Friday. 

Thank you again, Jessica 

Quoting Lowit.Anna@epamail.epa.gov: 

> I'd be glad to talk to you. Can you first send me written questions 

> and a description of your project? 

> 

> Anna 

> 

> 

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Jessica L. Poppe" [Jessica.Poppe@tufts.edu] 

> Sent: 02/25/2011 07:45 AM EST 

> To: Anna Lowit 

> Subject: Questions about atrazine 

> 

> 

> 

> Hello, 

> My name is Jessica Poppe, and I am a senior at Tufts University. I am 

> currently in a public health engineering class, doing a semester-long 

> project on pregnant women's exposure to atrazine from drinking water. 

> While looking through the Scientific Advisory Panel meetings for the 

> Reevaluation of Human Health Effects of Atrazine, I came across your 

> name. I was wondering if you might be willing to answer a few 

> questions by e-mail (or on the phone)about atrazine exposure for my 

> project. 

> 

> Thank you for your time, 

> 

> Jessica Poppe 

> jessica.poppe@tufts.edu 

> 978-844-1511 

To: Nelson Thurman/DC/USEPA/US@EPA 

From: "Jessica L. Poppe" <Jessica.Poppe@tufts.edu> 

Date: 02/25/2011 07:47AM 

Subject: Questions about atrazine 
Hello, 

My name is Jessica Poppe, and I am a senior at Tufts University. I am 

currently in a public health engineering class, doing a semester-long 

project on pregnant women's exposure to atrazine from drinking water. 

While looking through the Scientific Advisory Panel meetings for the 

Reevaluation of Human Health Effects of Atrazine, I came across your 

name. I was wondering if you might be willing to answer a few 

questions 

by e-mail (or on the phone)about atrazine exposure for my project. 

Thank you for your time, 

Jessica Poppe 

jessica.poppe@tufts.edu 

978-844-1511