Atrazine Research Paper

Today, atrazine is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States. It is used mainly on corn to control the growth of annual broadleaf and grassy weeds. Atrazine inhibits photosynthesis in plants by preventing electron transfer at the reducing site of photosynthesis complex II in chloroplasts, making it an effective herbicide. Atrazine is persistent in the environment, having a half-life of greater than 100 days in surface water [12]. It is the most commonly detected pesticide in surface and ground waters. Due to this, the most common route of exposure for atrazine is through surface and ground water contamination. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has set the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) to 3 g/L, but environmental

It is first oxidized to the chlorinated N-dealkylation products 2-chloro-4-ethyl-amino-6-amino-1,3,5-triazine (ETHYL) and 2-chloro-4-amino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine (ISO). These products are then metabolized again via cytochrome p450 to the major metabolite, diaminochlorotriazine (DACT). These metabolites can then undergo glutathione S-transferase (GST) mediated GSH conjugation to form unreactive non-chlorinated metabolites, that can then be excreted

Atrazine has the greatest effect on amphibians and other freshwater vertebrates because the highest concentrations of atrazine are found in lakes, ponds, and ditches since the water is not being replenished [9]. Studies show that atrazine has a wide variety of effects in the environment. These effects include: decreases in the metamorphosis size of amphibians, reductions in the anti-predator behaviors of fish and amphibians, decreases in the immune response of fish and amphibians, increases in the rate of infection of fish and amphibians, alterations in the gonadal morphology of amphibians, and alterations in the sex hormone concentrations of amphibians. These effects are produced at a wide range of concentrations. They have been seen anywhere from 0.1 g/L to 5000 g/L. The effects produced are at ecologically relevant concentrations, since the MCL is 3 g/L