Deuce Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 589 Location: FL
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject: Agent Orange Round 2 |
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First, I know some of you guys can recommend a better venue for this message, so fire away. Oh, and before I start let me say I NEVER read this pony-tail rag...my son left it on the coffee table (prolly on purpose). You can find an article in this month's HARPER's mag, which I highly recommend you read at your local library, "It's not easy being green" - 'Are weed-killers turning frogs into hermaphrodites?' by William Souder. The article details the sordid history of Atrazine. Quote: | Atrazine is among the world's oldest and most effective herbicides--the aspirin of weed-killers. It was developed during a period of intense innovation in the chemical industry that began with WWII and the invention of 2,4-D, the first "selective" herbicide: it could kill weeds without killing the crops. (It was later mixed with 2,4,5-T by the military to make the decidedly nonselective defoliant Agent Orange.) Sygenta, a company with roots dating back acouple centuries that also gave the world DDT and LSD, introduced atrazine to the market in 1959. | Long story short, the article goes on to detail how the EPA is stonewalling the banning of this chemical, while the EU banned it in 2003. Could this just be carping and whining by the greenies? Sure...but it's worthy of a read, if for no other reason than the fact that the reregistration of Atrazine, core ingredient of Agent Orange is due this month. And for those of us who thought we were done with that chemical 30+ years ago, note we've been continuously 'exposed' most of our adult lives! Damn, just damn!
Deuce
ps Anyone know if the derivation of Harper's is 'harping' or a guys name? |
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