[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5124 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5124

 To prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of 
                   any pesticide containing atrazine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2010

 Mr. Ellison 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.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States annually uses 60 to 80 million pounds 
        of atrazine, a weed killing pesticide.
            (2) The toxicity of atrazine is well documented and has 
        shown to have adverse endocrine effects in amphibians, mammals, 
        and humans. There is evidence in humans that atrazine exposure 
        is associated with low sperm counts and poor motility in 
        exposed adult men, and that pre-birth atrazine exposure is 
        associated with small birth weight and abnormal development of 
        the gut wall in infants. In laboratory mammals, exposure is 
        associated with abnormal reproductive system development, 
        impaired prostate gland formation, and abnormal breast tissue 
        development. In aquatic wildlife, exposure is associated with 
        abnormal reproductive system development, impaired 
        reproduction, and impaired immune system function.
            (3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledge 
        that atrazine may have potential adverse effects on fish, such 
        as organ tissue disease, disruption to endocrine and olfactory 
        systems, and reduced reproductive function.
            (4) The United States Geological Survey found atrazine in 
        approximately 75 percent of stream waters and 40 percent of all 
        groundwater samples from agricultural areas tested. According 
        to data from the Environmental Protection Agency Ecological 
        Watershed Monitoring Program, the surface water sampled in the 
        Midwestern and Southern United States suffers from pervasive 
        atrazine contamination. Sampling of watersheds between 2004 and 
        2006 showed that all 40 watersheds tested had detectable levels 
        of atrazine and 25 watersheds had average concentrations above 
        1 ppb. While these average elevated concentrations of atrazine 
        are worrisome, high peak concentrations may also be dangerous. 
        Nine watersheds had at least one sample showing levels above 50 
        ppb, and four watersheds had levels above 100 ppb.
            (5) According to data from the Environmental Protection 
        Agency Atrazine Monitoring Program, high levels of atrazine are 
        also evident in drinking water systems. More than 90 percent of 
        the samples taken in 139 water systems had measurable levels of 
        atrazine in both 2003 and 2004. Three systems had annual 
        averages exceeding 3 ppb.
            (6) In 1991, Germany and Italy banned the use of atrazine. 
        In 2003, European regulators announced a ban on the pesticide 
        throughout the European Union.
            (7) The Department of Agriculture estimates that a ban on 
        atrazine would result in crop losses of only 1.19 percent and 
        decrease corn acreage by only 2.3 percent. Since banning 
        atrazine nearly 20 years ago, both Italy and Germany have not 
        experienced a reduction of corn productivity or total acreage 
        of land in production.

SEC. 2. ATRAZINE PROHIBITION.

    Notwithstanding any other law, the use, production, sale, 
importation, or exportation of atrazine or an atrazine product is 
prohibited.

SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT.

    Any person who violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18, 
United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Atrazine.--The term ``atrazine'' or ``active ingredient 
        atrazine'' refers to the pesticide chemical 2-chloro-4-
        ethylamine-6-isopropylamin-1,3,5-triazine.
            (2) Atrazine product.--The term ``atrazine product'' means 
        any pesticide containing the active ingredient atrazine, as 
        identified on the Environmental Protection Agency registered 
        label, either alone or in a combination with other pesticides.
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