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Atrazine's effects on human health are a major focus of concern. Atrazine can cause health problems because, even at low levels, it disrupts hormones, the specialized chemicals that control many biological processes.

• Atrazine is linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• Some scientists claim that the chemical can cause sexual development problems in children approaching puberty.
• Human fetuses are particularly vulnerable, via amniotic fluid, to the transmission of atrazine.
• A study has found that atrazine could reduce male sperm counts by as much as fifty percent.
• There are several lawsuits against atrazine's manufacturer, Syngenta, by employees who worked in the US atrazine plant and now have prostate cancer.

Notwithstanding these health concerns, some atrazine supporters point to uncertainties in the link between atrazine and human health problems.

• Company representatives say that the higher rates of prostate cancer allegedly linked to atrazine are simply the result of more advanced and widespread screening procedures detecting illness that was there to begin with.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Scientific Panel have consistently determined that atrazine is only a potential carcinogen.
• Atrazine supporters claim that, as of yet, there has been no "conclusive" research linking atrazine to negative human health risks, from cancer to sexual development.

The U.S. EPA has established rules making atrazine's primary manufacturer, Syngenta, solely responsible for testing watersheds for atrazine levels, requiring that the company only test 3% of high-risk watersheds. Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading legal opponent of atrazine, has led an outcry against these rules.

"We are shocked that EPA would abdicate its responsibility to protect the public and allow the manufacturer to write the rules. EPA has concluded that atrazine probably does not cause cancer in humans, despite the fact that numerous studies show a link between atrazine and cancer in both humans and animals."
-Jennifer Sass, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council