Atrazine and what you should know - a lecture with Dr. Tyrone Hayes

Dr. Tyrone Hayes always had an interest in amphibians, even as a small boy growing up in Columbia, South Carolina. When he got accepted into Harvard, his interest soared. Soon he was conducting his own research, which eventually led to his discovering of the affect that atrazine, a chemical used in agriculture, has on amphibians.

The chemical, considered toxic, is used in agriculture as an herbicide. It leaks into the environment on a daily basis, including our water supply. The effect was first discovered in amphibians, but has since been proven to affect every invertebrate it has been tested with. Atrazine promotes excess estrogen production, causing male amphibians to become hermaphrodites. This sometimes even reaches their brains, causing them to think and act as if they are female. They begin to produce eggs instead of sperm in their testes. When tested on rats, the grandchildren of the rats had severe birth defects and were infertile. The effects will last for generations. Because atrazine promotes estrogen production, it also promotes cancer cell growth as well, in male and females. This just scratches the surface of the severity of the effects atrazine has on living things.

Although nobody can do a lab test with humans, there is a proven linkage between atrazine levels in urine and sperm counts in men. The higher the levels, the more likely a man is to be sterile. How are humans receiving this chemical? Our water supply.

When Hayes first began his research, he was being funded by the company that produced atrazine, Syngenta. When his research led him to the discoveries above, they immediately pulled his funding, and began a campaign to discredit him (in a very childish and devoid of moralistic manner, might I add).

Dr. Hayes mentioned something in his lecture that I discussed in my last blog: the level of control and conflict of interest that exists in positions of power that regulate things of this sort. He mentioned specifically the position of the head of the FDA, who is a former VP for Monsanto. 

Syngenta also produces a medication for the treatment of cancer that stops excess estrogen production, the opposite of what atrazine, also their product, does. This is a common theme in the pharmaceutical industry, also known as Big Pharma, and it is yet another method of control. Another example of this is Monsanto, who keeps us constantly sick with GMO's and produces medication to treat us. Some believe that the treatment for cancer is out there, but has not been revealed because then Big Pharma wouldn't be able to make millions off cancer treatment. There is mounding evidence that proves that cannabis oil attacks cancer cells, safely and rapidly.

With all that we know about corruption in our government and corporations (which are essentially one in the same), this is not hard for me to believe.