Consultation on the proposed special review decision of atrazine and its associated end-use products, PSRD2023-01

Atrazine consultation in Canada

Health Canada is consulting on a special review of atrazine. Our scientists reviewed thousands of scientific studies and over 15,000 water sample tests. The results show that, with the proposed label changes, atrazine meets Heath Canada's requirements to protect human health and the environment.

Atrazine

Atrazine is a pesticide used to controls weeds on:

• corn (a food and livestock feed)
• sorghum (a food and livestock feed)
• switchgrass (a biofuel and livestock feed)

Regulatory history of atrazine in Canada

Atrazine has been registered for use in Canada for over 60 years. Here is a quick overview of its regulatory timeline.

• 1960: Atrazine was first registered in Canada.
• 1990s: Atrazine use was drastically reduced by Health Canada and industry-led actions to protect human health and the environment.
• 2004 – 2007: With restrictions on how atrazine was used, through its re-evaluations Health Canada determined that the requirements for protection of human health and the environment were still met.
• 2013: A special review was initiated by Health Canada. This was based on the European Unions' decision to ban the use of atrazine because available monitoring data were insufficient to demonstrate atrazine would not exceed their policy-based threshold in groundwater.

Health Canada's risk-based special review concluded that the amount of atrazine found in Canadian drinking water met the requirements to protect human health and the environment.

• 2017: During consultation, Health Canada received additional information on atrazine that indicated that the criteria for another special review had been met. Therefore, a second special review was initiated.
• 2023: Health Canada is currently consulting on its second special review of atrazine.

How to get involved

This consultation is on the proposed decision to:

• continue to allow most uses of atrazine, with new and additional risk management measures
• no longer allow atrazine to be mixed with granular fertilizers

View a summary of the proposed decision

This consultation is open for comment from 6 February 2023 to 23 March 2023 (45 calendar days). Open "View a summary of the proposed decision" to access the document.

If you would like to comment, see the Pest Management Regulatory Agency Publications Section page for contact information. Please be sure to include the title of the consultation document on which you are commenting. Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments by 23 March 2023.

Reporting to Canadians

Health Canada will make the results of this consultation available on this website. Once the decision on atrazine is finalized, the PMRA will post a special review decision on the Pesticides and Pest Management Reports and Publications portion of Canada.ca.

If you have any questions, contact the Pest Management Information Service.

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