WATER IS LIFE...right?

This map of U.S. rivers and streams are showing the areas contaminated with harmful levels of the pesticide atrazine.

This hormone-disrupting, cancer-linked chemical is the United States’ most widespread pesticide water pollutant. Its so dangerous its been banned in more than 60 countries.

Yet, the EPA wants to reapprove its use — without legally required water-quality standards — for another TWENTY YEARS

Join the Center for Biodiversity petition to make the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency set water-pollution limits for atrazine.

If you haven’t yet, sign the petition for the EPA to ban atrazine once and for all. ➡️ https://bit.ly/483nqwP

What does this pollution mean for the US vs what it means to people of African descent and other marginalized communities? The same thing it always means...we get hit harder and have disproportionate impacts.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities face disproportionate exposure and health risks from agricultural chemicals like atrazine due to systemic environmental racism, residential proximity to industrial and agricultural zones, and unequal regulatory protections.

• Disproportionate Impacts: Studies show that Black and Mexican American individuals exhibit up to five times higher levels of dangerous pesticide biomarkers (including metabolites linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals) in our blood and urine compared to non-Hispanic white populations.

• Proximity to Manufacturing and Agricultural Sites: People of color make up roughly 38% of the aggregate population across several key agricultural and industrial states (such as Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Louisiana), yet we represent 63% of the population living in close proximity to pesticide manufacturing and processing facilities that have been flagged for significant violations of federal laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

• Drinking Water Contamination: Atrazine contaminates nearly 25% of continental U.S. rivers and extensive rural or municipal surface water systems. It is the second-most widely used herbicide in the United States, with roughly 70 million pounds applied annually to crops like corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. Rural and underserved communities frequently rely on localized or private wells with fewer filtration resources to combat agricultural runoff. [1, 2]

• Health Complications: Atrazine is linked to hormonal interference, reduced fertility, lower sperm counts, menstrual irregularities, birth defects, and increased risks for certain cancers (such as breast cancer and lymphomas). These chronic health burdens compound existing health disparities in Black and low-income neighborhoods. [1, 2]

• The System Is Working Effectively (just not in our favor): Historical zoning, systemic classism, and weak enforcement by regulatory agencies like the U.S. EPA leave marginalized communities under-protected against chemical drift, water seepage, and occupational hazards. [1]

What are you going to do about it?

Turn on the tap? Pump from your well? Test your water monthly? Demand stronger policy?

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