"A Madison County [Ill.] class-action lawsuit filed in 2004 over the use of the popular herbicide atrazine is gaining steam, and one lawyer says it could reshape farming practices nationwide.

Atrazine is an economical pesticide that is used on most corn and grain sorghum grown in the United States. About 80 million pounds of atrazine are used annually in the United States to control broadleaf and other weeds.

The lawsuit was filed by Steve Tillery on behalf of the Holiday Shores Sanitary District. The suit, against various makers and distributors of the pesticide, claims atrazine runoff from farming operations pollutes water supplies. The suit also claims atrazine breaks down into cancer-causing substances. "

Brian Brueggemann reports for the Belleville News-Democrat September 27, 2009. [2]