Toxoxity characteristics of the 2-chlorotriazines atrazine and simazine
- Jellinek, Schwartz & Connolly, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)
Atrazine and simazine are herbicides used broadly in agriculture to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. An extensive database on the toxicity of these triazines has been developed to support their use in agriculture. Atrazine and simazine have very low levels of acute toxicity with oral LD{sub 50}s of >3000 mg/kg in rats. A total of 37 mutagenicity studies have been conducted on atrazine and 34 on simazine. A weight-of-the-evidence evaluation of the mutagenicity data leads to the conclusion that neither triazine possesses genotoxic activity. Oncogenicity studies in three strains of mice are negative for both atrazine and simazine. Neither triazine is oncogenic to male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats or to male and female Fischer 344 rats. However, in female SD rats both triazines induce the early occurrence and/or increased incidence of mammary gland tumors. Results of additional studies suggest that endocrinologic changes related to triazine administration are likely responsible for the mammary gland effects in female SD rats and that a threshold exists for these effects.
- OSTI ID:
- 369980
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960376--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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