[ noun ] a synthetic compound derived from triazine that is widely used as an agricultural herbicide <noun.substance> atrazine is thought to cause cancer and is banned in some European countries
The EC's directives on the quality of drinking water set a maximum acceptable concentration, MAC, of 0.1 micrograms per liter (mg/l) for all chemicals used in plant protection, including atrazine.
Separately, the German government has proposed a unilateral ban on plant protection products containing atrazine, and the ban could go into effect as early as May of this year, if the federal legislature agrees.
The second case of atrazine contamination, last March, may have been a stroke of luck.
"The atrazine file is clear," Mr. Huber says.
However, Germany's argument against atrazine is based on the chemical's potential as a groundwater pollutant.
Because atrazine is an herbicide, the contaminated Benlate was killing some of the plants it was applied on.