Atrazine birth defect “study” worthless

In what ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross calls one of the “worst studies ever,”  A team of researchers from the University of Texas School of Public Health reported in the Journal of Pediatrics that exposure to a widely used herbicide during pregnancy may raise the risk of a birth defect.

According to the findings, atrazine ”the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S.” appeared to increase the risk of choanal atresia (an extremely rare congenital defect) by almost two-fold in pregnant women. Even a quick perusal of the paper reveals that this claim cannot possibly be valid.  Click here to read full article and leave comment.

My Take - A number of years ago there was a constant stream of accusations about breast cancer on Long Island in New York.  The greenies claimed it was caused by all the pesticides used there in agriculture.  About 15 years ago a study costing seven million dollars reported that this simply wasn't true.  What as the response from the greenies?  Were they happy that the incidence of breast cancer was not out of line with the rest of the nation? No.  That wasn't the acceptable answer, so they demanded more studies.  This study is consistent with virtually everything done by the greenies and their integrity challenged "fellow travelers" in the "scientific" community.  No matter how many studies show that some product represents no observable harm they will demand study after study after study until some poor fool who will have his reputation tarnished forever comes forward to appease them.   Of course they have given themselves some leeway by claiming that atrazine "appears" to cause this or that.  Another "weasel word" study!

Data dredging and weasel words.  Without them the green movement would have nothing....instead of something that turns out to be nothing.  Without the internet this might have worked; just as Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, worked to beguile and mislead an entire generation.