Its just part of the don't ask don't tell policy.

Don't Tri-Met, Amtrak, So. Pacific, Burlington Northern, etc., spray herbicide along their rail lines, too? Many follow alongside stream and river courses (natural grades).

What about ODOT and Oregon county and municipal road maintenance depts?

Plus all of those utility companies (electric, gas, etc.) and their spraying of right-of-ways.

Then there's all those people who spray stuff like Roundup around their abodes (or rental properties) rather than simply pull the "weeds" or pay (or barter with) some schoolkid to do it for them.

A few words about the phrase "new health concerns" -- that seems mostly to mean 'health concerns' which are news to you, or 'health concerns' which today make their way into the news.

Just, ever since Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' (1960?), really, many many folks have realized and said all of this business of the "better things ... for better living ... through chemistry," (the TV commercial tagline verbatim -- no kidding -- in 1950s duPont advertising), is ALL OF IT, and absolutely, poisoning, toxic, 'health concerns' of our own making ('profitting') of our own undoing.

Just, that the NYTimes has not put 'atrazine' in the news until today, does NOT mean there were NOT many many people who knew and said so it is a killing 'health concern' and have NOT been working to spread the word and stop it. Because there were and have been these people -- you can find them among your friends or can talk to them among people you meet, only NYTimes 'reporters' can't, don't, or won't.

Sigh. So many lives, so few 'points of light.' What there is to know is that the hippies were right, and to act and live your individual life accordingly -- turned on to living and tuned in to living -- without waiting until the corporate sponsors allow their massmedia mouthpieces like NYTimes to admit it and say so -- drop out of that Establishment news network, now ... and dropping out is done WITHOUT having to buy EITHER a red pill OR a blue pill.

The hippies were right. Free love (from being held hostage for ransom money). The more you don't enliven the dawn of the age of Aquarius (which, btw, is an astronomical -- NOT astrological -- pattern commencing in 2160 or 2360 (I forget) that none of us will be around to see), the shorter and less you live.

people who spray stuff like Roundup

Atrazine seems worse than Roundup.

A few words about the phrase "new health concerns" -- that seems mostly to mean 'health concerns' which are news to you, or 'health concerns' which today make their way into the news.

No, there are people concerned now who weren't concerned before.

While atrazine is coming to the forefront why is a more ubiquitous poison being hidden by EPA and DEQ?
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether, now found in so many urban water and in rural wells. Yet this carcinogenic chemical, invented to make gasoline environment friendly is one of the worst threats of cancer.

A few words about the phrase "new health concerns" -- that seems mostly to mean 'health concerns' which are news to you, or 'health concerns' which today make their way into the news.

Sorry folks--you might be wondering what happened to the "EP" in the "EPA". Truth is, the EPA is very political, often biased, and often isn't working for you.

Drink up. Corporations are your friend.

And Atrazine? It's been a well-known concern for many years. For example:

http://www.texascenter.org/txpin/atrazine.htm

Did anyone read the referenced document from the OSU Extension service? Among other things it stated that high doses for Atrazine were required for any toxic effects on mammals. 86% of atrazine consumed by mammals is excreted in the first 72 hours. Atrazine has a half life of 72 hours on the ground in leaf litter.

No, you don't want to overuse this stuff. However, if you have any interest in reforestration you will want an effective method of weed control. There is positive value in growing trees in the PNW. Sounds like a good tool to me...

Yeah, boy, the Ag schools would NEVER shade things towards the big chemical company point of view now would they -- no sirree!

Until there was atrazine and other sprayable wonders, why trees just could never get established anywhere, it was all just weeds from Alaska to Northern California . . .

Suggest all read
Toxic Deception: How the Chemical Industry Manipulates Science, Bends the Law and Endangers Your Health (used @ Powells for $11.50)

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-1567511627-0

"Yeah, boy, the Ag schools would NEVER shade things towards the big chemical company point of view now would they -- no sirree!"

And boy, some blog commenter would NEVER shower everyone with cynicism without any form of evidence or citation of fact.

Read the document. They state measurable facts, learned from labwork and testing.

And boy, some blog commenter would NEVER shower everyone with cynicism without any form of evidence or citation of fact.

He did. read the book.

Ag schools are no less susceptible to bias than others. Sometimes, they get a lot of money to do "research" for companies (like, say, Monsanto and Dow) and are encouraged to publish favorable results. It's more subtle than you're implying, and more pervasive.

Does that mean schools are corrupt? No. Does it mean bias and corporate control are happening? definitely.

Atrazine has received a lot of press lately and more consumers are finally becoming aware of the dangers of it in their drinking water.

The state of Indiana released a statement just this week, encouraging consumers to use "point of use" drinking water filtration systems to protect themselves. Unfortunately, not all filters remove atrazine.

I'm happy to say that the Multi-Pure drinking water systems DO remove atrazine, along with about 63 other harmful contaminants! Our filters cost less than bottled water and are certified by NSF to reduce the widest range of contaminants in the industry!

If you'd like to know more, I'd be happy to talk to you about our products. We can wait for the government to do its part or we can solve the problem ourselves!