Simazine

Definition of simazine: Simazine belongs to the same class of herbicides as atrazine. It is widely used as a selective herbicide to control most annual grasses and broadleaf weeds before they emerge or after removal of weed growth. This is the common definition for simazine, other definitions can be discussed in the article

Notes

In the USA, an estimated 2000 to 2500 tons of simazine are applied to agricultural crops (mainly on corn, fruits and nuts) each year, and an additional 500 tons are applied for nonagricultural uses. It mainly enters the marine environment through run off from application sites.

Simazine is moderately soluble (3,5 mg/L) and has a low tendency to be absorbed to particles or into the soil. Therefore simazine is highly mobile and can into ground water systems. It has low volatility and losses of simazine by evaporation into the atmosphere are therefore expected to be rather low. According to laboratory studies simazine is persistent and able to persist into the environment for months, as it takes 90 days to half its concentration.

Simazine has a low potential to bioaccumulate in fish and is therefore not expected to biomagnify through food chains.