HR100 HD1.DOC

WHEREAS, more than 60,000,000 pounds of atrazine, a weed-killing pesticide, is used annually in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the toxicity of atrazine is well documented and has been shown to have adverse endocrine effects in amphibians, mammals, and humans; and

WHEREAS, there is evidence that atrazine exposure is associated with low sperm counts and poor motility in exposed adult men, and that pre-birth atrazine exposure is associated with low birth weight and abnormal development of the gut wall in infants; and

WHEREAS, in laboratory mammals, exposure to atrazine is associated with abnormal reproductive system development, impaired prostate gland formation, and abnormal breast tissue development; and

WHEREAS, in aquatic life, exposure to atrazine is associated with abnormal reproductive system development, impaired reproduction, and impaired immune system function; and

WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges that atrazine may have potential adverse effects on fish, including organ tissue disease, disruption to the endocrine and olfactory systems, and reduced reproductive function; and

WHEREAS, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency Atrazine Monitoring Program, high levels of atrazine are also evident in drinking water systems and more than 90 percent of the samples taken in 139 water systems had measurable levels of atrazine in both 2003 and 2004; and
WHEREAS, in 1991, Germany and Italy banned the use of atrazine; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, European regulators announced a ban on the pesticide throughout the European Union; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture estimates that a ban on atrazine would result in crop losses of only 1.19 percent and decrease corn acreage by only 2.3 percent; and

WHEREAS, since banning atrazine nearly 20 years ago, Italy and Germany have not experienced a reduction of corn productivity or total acreage of land in production; and

WHEREAS, atrazine has been used for decades in Hawaii to treat sugarcane, pineapple, and more recently seed corn; and

WHEREAS, rainfall sweeps atrazine into rivers and streams, threatening plant and aquatic life and contaminating Hawaii's drinking water; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture does not test for atrazine because of the lack of inspectors, and atrazine users are largely left to police themselves with regard to compliance with atrazine guidelines promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency that limit spraying and require setbacks from water resources; and

WHEREAS, tests run by the Department of Health repeatedly show that drinking water in the State, and mostly in the County of Hawaii, is contaminated with measurable levels of atrazine; and

WHEREAS, a report by the Soil/Water/Air Protection Enterprise shows that Hawaii is ranked tenth among the states for the percentage of its population exposed to atrazine in drinking water; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to be at the forefront of a monitoring and regulatory effort to protect Hawaii residents from the potential adverse effects of chronic atrazine exposure; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Director of Health is requested to develop partnerships to address the data gap on air, surface water, and nearshore effects of atrazine; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health is requested to report to the Legislature progress, findings, and recommendations, including any proposed legislation arising from its partnership activities, no later than October 31, 2013; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

Report Title:

Atrazine Task Force

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	100
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII