Is Atrazine safe in food and drink?
Food processing2 uses researched8 sourced claims
Where it turns up: herbicide residue in water and crops. Detox My Life researched atrazine under 2 different uses, because the same substance means something different in each. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.
Level by use and lens
Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.
Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.
Eaten or drunk Swap
Under the default Cautious lens atrazine in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (6)
ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified atrazine as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A) in late 2025, based on limited evidence in humans, sufficient evidence in experimental animals, and strong mechanistic evidence in experimental systems.
- Why here
- Ingestion through contaminated drinking water is a primary route of general population exposure to atrazine.
- What would have to be true
- General population exposure occurs primarily via ingestion of drinking water and foodstuffs, typically estimated to be low, but atrazine is widely detected in US drinking water.
Sources the engine cites:
ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in its 2020 Interim Registration Review Decision that atrazine is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans" and dismissed IARC's 2025 classification as "flawed.".
- Why here
- The EPA's assessment considers dietary exposure, including drinking water, to determine potential health effects.
- What would have to be true
- Cumulative dietary exposure to atrazine and simazine through food and drinking water is considered safe by the EPA, with levels below those that would potentially cause health effects.
Sources the engine cites:
ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 100%
Ingestion of atrazine is classified as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with hormones that regulate bodily systems.
- Why here
- Atrazine is a common contaminant in drinking water due to its widespread agricultural use, leading to potential ingestion.
- What would have to be true
- Drinking water contaminated with atrazine, with the EU banning it due to inability to keep levels below 0.1 ppb in groundwater, while the US EPA's MCL is 3 ppb (0.003 mg/L).
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingSuspected carcinogenconfidence 70%
A 2024 study found a correlation between atrazine exposure and early onset prostate and lung cancer in pesticide applicators, and other studies suggest associations between atrazine in drinking water and increased non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Why here
- While the 2024 study focused on applicators, the presence of atrazine in drinking water suggests a potential for general population exposure via ingestion.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion of atrazine-contaminated drinking water, with some studies suggesting associations at levels found in drinking water.
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingEndocrineconfidence 80%
Some epidemiological studies suggest a link between atrazine exposure in drinking water and adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes in humans, including low birth weight, small head circumference, heart, urinary, and limb defects in newborns, and increased risk of pre-term delivery.
- Why here
- Atrazine is a common contaminant in drinking water, leading to potential human ingestion, especially in agricultural areas.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion of atrazine-contaminated drinking water, with some studies suggesting effects at levels found in drinking water.
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingMetabolicconfidence 80%
Animal studies indicate that atrazine ingestion can lead to metabolic changes, including decreased liver weight, altered gene expression related to lipid uptake and fatty acid metabolism, and impacts on adipose tissue synthesis and metabolism.
- Why here
- Atrazine can be ingested through contaminated drinking water, making these metabolic effects relevant to human exposure.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion of atrazine, with animal studies using dosages such as 5 mg/kg bw/day in drinking water.
Sources the engine cites:
In drinking water Swap
Under the default Cautious lens atrazine in drinking water rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (2)
ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified atrazine as 'probably carcinogenic to humans' (Group 2A).
- Why here
- Atrazine is a common contaminant in drinking water, leading to human exposure through ingestion.
- What would have to be true
- Ingesting drinking water contaminated with atrazine.
- The other side
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified atrazine as 'not likely to cause cancer in humans' and states its assessment found no risks of concern when evaluating all dietary exposure sources including drinking water.
Sources the engine cites:
- Atrazine | US EPA (2025) · regulator or public body
- MA EPHT - Atrazine — Mass.gov (2026) · regulator or public body
- 1 web article (Center for Biological Diversity), linked in the app.
ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 100%
Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor that can interfere with hormones, potentially leading to reproductive dysfunction, altered menstrual cycles, low fetal weight, heart, urinary, and limb defects, preterm births, fetal growth restriction, and small head circumference in humans.
- Why here
- Atrazine is a common contaminant in drinking water supplies, leading to human exposure through ingestion.
- What would have to be true
- Ingesting drinking water contaminated with atrazine, with some studies observing associations at levels below the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3 µg/L (3 ppb).
Sources the engine cites:
Not researched here
The engine has no dossier for atrazine when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.
This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.
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See also: all ingredients · paste a label to check it · how to read an ingredient flag
