Herbicides: Feminization of male frogs in the wild

@article{Hayes2002HerbicidesFO,
  title={Herbicides: Feminization of male frogs in the wild},
  author={Tyrone B. Hayes and Kelly M. Haston and Mable Tsui and Anhthu Hoang and Cathryn Haeffele and Aaron Vonk},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2002},
  volume={419},
  pages={895-896}
}
Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide in the United States and probably in the world. Here we investigate the effects of exposure to water-borne atrazine contamination on wild leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) in different regions of the United States and find that 10–92% of males show gonadal abnormalities such as retarded development and hermaphroditism. These results are supported by laboratory observations, which together highlight concerns over the biological effects of environmental… 
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Atrazine-induced hermaphroditism at 0.1 ppb in American leopard frogs (Rana pipiens): laboratory and field evidence.
TLDR
It is shown that atrazine exposure resulted in retarded gonadal development (gonadal dysgenesis) and testicular oogenesis (hermaphroditism) in leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) and the current data raise concern about the effects of atrazines on amphibians in general and the potential role of atazine and other endocrine-disrupting pesticides in amphibian declines.
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The reproductive consequences of atrazine exposure in adult amphibians are demonstrated and exemplify the role that atrazin and other endocrine-disrupting pesticides likely play in global amphibian declines.
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Larval survival was significantly lower in treated tanks when compared to controls, as more treated larvae died during metamorphosis, and Morphometric data suggested an impact on froglet phenotypes, with treated individuals being heavier (but not different in size) than control ones.
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Low Levels of the Herbicide Atrazine Alter Sex Ratios and Reduce Metamorphic Success in Rana pipiens Tadpoles Raised in Outdoor Mesocosms
TLDR
Exposure to low concentrations of ATZ in experimental mesocosms alters gonadal differentiation and metamorphosis in developing R. pipiens, indicating that ATZ treatments significantly reduced metamorphic success without affecting body weight, snout–vent length, or age at meetamorphosis.
Demasculinization and feminization of male gonads by atrazine: Consistent effects across vertebrate classes
Atrazine Has Been Used Safely for 50 Years
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Adverse reproductive effects of atrazine are observed in laboratory rodents including prostate disease, low sperm production, and decreased testosterone levels in males and mammary cancer, abortion, and impaired mammary development in females, consistent with the induction of aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen.
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