Dr ALISON BLEANEY
Simon Cubit’s letter ( Examiner 30 June) is tendentious in the extreme. The average reader not in full possession of the facts would infer from his letter that atrazine is only present in Tasmanian waters at a dilution of less than 1ppb. The fact that atrazine and simazine has been found many times in Tasmanian drinking waters is itself disgraceful.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines state that atrazine should not be present in drinking water. As for his statement that low concentrations are not a human health concern, the Endocrine Society, a highly respected international medical society of over 14,000 members in 100 countries, issued a seminal new report stating that exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals are a growing threat to human health and well-being.
The report explicitly states that “the precautionary principle is critical to enhancing health.” It also states “… infinitesimally low levels of exposure – indeed, any level of exposure at all – may cause endocrine or reproductive abnormalities, particularly if exposure occurs during a critical developmental window.
Surprisingly, low doses may even exert more potent effects than higher doses.” Effects may also be transgenerational, transmitted through changes in gene function.
Where does Simon Cubit’s masters (APVMA) obtain their information to allow him to make these statements?
Surely Simon, you and your masters should be working hard to prevent our exposure to all toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals?
