Amphibians have had it tough lately. They're landslide winners of the Most Endangered Vertebrate Class Sweepstakes, often referred to as the "canary in the coal mine" with regard to impending environmental threats. It's important to remember that, while coal mine canaries might serve a noble cause, they're still ex-canaries. So, why are so many amphibians staring down the barrel of extinction? Oh, a whole host of issues, ranging from sensitivity to pollutants, fungal diseases, habitat loss, and increased UV radiation.
Well, add this one. The pesticide atrazine, about 80,000 tons of which are applied annually in the U.S., chemically castrates 75% of male frogs and turns about 10% into females. This from the lab of UC-Berkeley's Tyrone Hayes, where frogs were raised for three years in water containing 2.5 ppb of atrazine.
The European Union has banned the use of atrazine, and several U.S. states are considering the same. As a result of many recent studies pointing toward the ill effects of the pesticide, the EPA is reviewing existing regulations. Only question - is it too little, too late for The Green One?
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