Air pollution is the price we pay to keep cars on the road and the wheels of industry turning, while soil and water pollution is often the down side of pest free crops and forests. The challenge is, to remove the pollution, without removing the expectations of modern living.

One of the most effective herbicides in use is Atrazine. But because of its danger to birds and fish and as a possible cause of cancer in humans, regulatory bodies have considered taking it off the market. But this would cause huge problems for farmers and forestry industries.

"It's a fantastic herbicide, it's cheap, it's very efficient but the only problem is, it does persist in the environment and eventually that means it will leach down to ground water, and once it's in the ground water it means it's then mobile and can spread around and contaminate."

So enter the Atrazine muncher. Amanda Tilbury, at Australia's science organisation, CSIRO, has discovered a native Australian bacteria that will literally eat the problem away.

"Well, we have a bacteria that degrades atrazine, and essentially it eats it, as a nitrogen source, and atrazine generally has a half life in ground water and soils ranging from one to eight years and in the presence of this bacteria that's reduced to just five and a half hours. So it's a dramatic difference."

It's hoped that the Atrazine loving bacteria can be pumped into contaminated ground to gorge on the herbicide, leaving a clean environment in their wake.

CSIRO Enquiries
Email: Enquiries@csiro.au
Phone: 1300 363 400
Locked Bag 10
Clayton South
VIC 3169