Atrazine

Atrazine is a white, crystalline, solid, organic compound that is soluble in water and does not exist naturally in the environment. When pure, it is odorless and not very volatile, reactive, or flammable. It is widely used as a selective herbicide to prevent and/or to stop the growth of broadleaf and grassy weeds in crops—corn, sorghum, sugarcane, pineapples, macadamia nuts, soybeans, etc.—and in conifer reforestation plantings. It is also employed as a nonselective herbicide on highway and railroad rights-of-way, noncropped industrial lands, and fallow lands.

Atrazine was deemed to be the most widely used herbicide in the United States from 1987–89, but presently its uses are greatly restricted. Classified as Toxicity Class III—slightly toxic—it is not available to the general public and may be purchased and ...