EPA Proposes Increasing Permissible Levels of Pesticide Atrazine in Agriculture

Atrazine is one of the most prevalent herbicides in the United States, while it’s banned in the European Union.

A farmer spreads pesticide on a field in Centreville, Md., on April 25, 2022. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed raising the permissible concentration levels of atrazine at which it estimates the pesticide could potentially harm aquatic plants in agricultural sites.

Atrazine is an herbicide widely used for controlling broadleaf and grass weeds in agricultural crops. The EPA proposed on Dec. 3 increasing the atrazine levels to 9.7 micrograms per liter—nearly three times higher than the current limit of 3.4 micrograms.