Trump administration claims atrazine threatens no species, despite ban in 60 countries
By isabelle // 2025-10-13
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  • U.S. regulators claim atrazine poses no extinction risk to endangered species.
  • This contradicts a prior EPA finding of harm to over 1,000 species.
  • The pesticide is banned in 60 countries and linked to serious health issues.
  • It is a widespread contaminant in U.S. water supplies.
  • Critics accuse the administration of a political maneuver favoring industry.
In a move that has stunned environmental advocates and health experts, President Donald Trump’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the widely used pesticide atrazine does not pose an extinction risk to a single protected animal or plant. This declaration comes despite the chemical’s notorious record of contaminating the nation’s rivers, lakes and streams, and a prior Environmental Protection Agency assessment that found it likely to harm more than 1,000 imperiled species. The decision, favoring an industry-backed position, raises a critical question for public health and liberty: How can U.S. regulators get this so dangerously wrong when 60 other nations have already banned this toxic substance? The announcement represents a sharp reversal from previous government assessments and aligns with a pattern of industry-friendly policy shifts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s initial assessment of atrazine in 2020 found that it was likely to harm more than 1,000 imperiled species. The new Fish and Wildlife Service draft assessment, however, mainly finds that mitigations already proposed by the EPA are sufficient to prevent atrazine-induced extinction of endangered species. For those who value transparent, uncorrupted science, this sudden about-face reeks of a political maneuver, not a scientific one. Critics were swift and severe in their condemnation of the announcement. “This announcement is an absolute joke,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “You’d have an easier time convincing me that the government isn’t really shut down than persuading me that atrazine isn’t putting a single endangered species at risk of extinction.” This raw skepticism highlights the deep distrust in regulatory bodies that appear to prioritize corporate profits over planetary health.

A dangerous disconnect

The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a comprehensive analysis to the Trump administration detailing how a Biden-era plan would greenlight extremely harmful levels of atrazine pollution. Their analysis found that the plan would allow dangerous levels of atrazine in more than 11,000 U.S. watersheds, which encompass about one-eighth of the entire landmass of the continental United States. Atrazine, which is banned in 60 countries, is the second most widely used pesticide in the U.S. and one of the nation’s most controversial and widespread pesticide water contaminants. It is a known hormone-disrupting pesticide linked to birth defects, multiple cancers, and fertility problems like low sperm quality and irregular menstrual cycles. Allowing this chemical to continue contaminating water supplies is an assault on the bodily autonomy and health freedom of every American. The primary manufacturer of atrazine is Syngenta, a Swiss-based corporation. The company has a history of aggressively defending its profitable product. In 2012, Syngenta settled a lawsuit for $105 million, agreeing to reimburse filtration costs to remove the chemical from drinking water for 52 million Americans across the Midwest while pleading "no liability." Internal company documents from other litigation have revealed strategies to discredit critics, including a campaign against University of California, Berkeley researcher Dr. Tyrone Hayes, whose work showed atrazine feminizes male frogs.

A legacy of contamination

The science against atrazine is vast and damning. It is one of the most commonly reported contaminants in groundwater and public drinking water, according to the EPA. The herbicide’s chemical properties make it susceptible to leaching and runoff, meaning it does not stay where it is sprayed but instead migrates into the water we drink and the ecosystems that sustain wildlife. This is not a localized problem but a national crisis. The EPA is reassessing the safety of atrazine because that is required every 15 years for each EPA-approved pesticide. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft assessment stems from a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The agreement ordered the agency to complete steps to reduce harm to endangered species by finalizing biological opinions for atrazine by March 31, 2026. Yet the recent announcement suggests this process may be yielding predetermined conclusions that benefit industry rather than science. For anyone who believes in the right to clean water and a government that protects its citizens from corporate malfeasance, this decision is a profound betrayal. The continued use of atrazine is a choice to poison our water, our wildlife, and our own bodies for the sake of corporate profit, and it is a choice that the American people should vehemently reject. Sources for this article include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org BiologicalDiversity.org USRTK.org EHN.org
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