Atrazine is a powerful member of the triazine class of herbicides, which characteristically possess three carbon and three nitrogen atoms in a six-membered ring. The chemical is often used to control plants such as chickweed, cocklebur, ragweed, and smartweed, and gains its effectiveness by inhibiting the process of photosynthesis.

Introduced in the 1970s, the herbicide atrazine is available in a variety of forms and is sold under an extensive array of trade names, such as Atranex, Atratol, Primatol, and Simazat. Due to its unusually long persistence in soil and the possibility of groundwater contamination, however, the chemical has been classified as a restricted use pesticide, and only those with the proper certification are able to legally purchase and apply the substance. Though quite effective against many broadleaf and grassy weeds, certain higher plant species are able to tolerate exposure to atrazine. Most scientists believe that this tolerance is a result of their ability to quickly breakdown the herbicide into non-toxic metabolites.

Categorized as a class III toxin, atrazine is slightly to moderately noxious to humans and other animals. The chemical, which may induce exposure symptoms that include nausea, abdominal pain, irritation of mucous membranes, and rash or redness of the skin, is readily absorbed dermally and through the gastrointestinal system. Atrazine may also enter the body through inhalation and has been shown to cause depression, coordination problems, tremors, slowed breathing, and hypothermia in test animals exposed to very high levels of the chemical.

Questions or comments? Send us an email.

© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.

This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM

Access Count Since January 23, 2004: 12258

All of the images in this gallery were captured with a QImaging Retiga camera system.
For more information on these cameras, use the button below to access
the QImaging website:

For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: