Kermit to Kermette?
Does the Herbicide Atrazine Feminize Male Frogs?
Author(s)
Abstract
This case study explores the unintended side effects of chemicals introduced into the environment, specifically organic compounds that can act as environmental estrogens (chemical castration agents that can interfere with the sexual development of embryonic males). The case was developed for a non-majors chemistry course and focuses on the science that underlies the controversy surrounding the sale of the herbicide atrazine in the U.S. as well as the political and economic issues that impact this science.
Objectives
- Learn about how environmental estrogens can act to feminize embryonic males.
- Acquire experience with the presentation and interpretation of scientific data in graphical form.
- Be exposed to the diverse ways in which the same set of scientific data may be interpreted by groups with different political and economic viewpoints.
- Become aware of the power that lobbying has to influence the political outcome of scientific studies.
Keywords
Atrazine contamination; androgens; decline of amphibians; environmental estrogen; chemical castration agents; feminization of frog larvae; Syngenta, Xenopus laevis; sociology of scienceTopical Areas
Scientific methodEducational Level
High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper divisionFormat
PDFType / Methods
InterruptedLanguage
EnglishSubject Headings
Biochemistry | Chemistry (General) | Environmental Science |
Date Posted
03/20/06Teaching Notes
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Answer Key
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Comments
Gary Buckley
gbuckley@cameron.edu
Physical Sciences
Cameron University
Lawton, OK
06/15/2011
Good case study. A minor thing I noticed was the titles on the graphs were backwards - they should always be in a y vs. x format. -----------------------------