- WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most of the nation's rivers and streams and the fish
in them are contaminated with pesticides linked to cancer, birth defects
and neurological disorders, but not at levels that can harm humans.
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- Pesticides were found in almost all U.S.
rivers and streams from 1992 to 2001, says a study released Friday by the
U.S. Geological Survey, although most drinking water supplies have not
been affected.
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- Most frequently detected in agricultural
streams were three herbicides used mainly on farms: atrazine, metolachlor
and cyanazine. Just last week, the Environmental Protection Agency settled
a 2003 lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council, forcing
the government to assess whether atrazine threatens the survival of endangered
Chesapeake Bay sea turtles, endangered Texas salamanders and 16 other aquatic
species.
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- Three other herbicides used commonly
in cities--simazine, prometon and tebuthiuron--showed up more often in
urban streams.
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- The USGS looked for 100 pesticides and
found 40 of them had a widespread presence in streams and sediment in urban
and agricultural areas, at concentrations that could affect aquatic life
or fish-eating wildlife. The pesticides showed up more than 90 percent
of the time in the fish tissue.
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