• Herbicidal chemicals can harm frogs and other amphibians.frog image by Leonie Pratt from Fotolia.com
  
  Many herbicide products exist, both for home use as well as for large-scale agricultural applications; a number of these herbicides include chemicals that pose a danger to amphibians. For example, a common chemical called glyphosate is the active ingredient in the product Roundup and other herbicides. Another herbicide implicated in amphibian diseases and death is atrazine, contained in AAtrax, Turf Pride and other products.
  
  

Feminization of Male Frogs

• The herbicidal chemical known as atrazine appears in products designed to help control weeds, especially in cornfields. When the chemical runs off into bodies of water, it can have a damaging effect on frogs that live in ponds and areas where agricultural runoff occurs, according to Dr. Tyrone Hayes of the University of California at Berkeley. He was quoted in "The Wichitan" newspaper in 2008 as saying, "Atrazine chemically castrates and feminizes wildlife, reducing immune function in both wildlife and laboratory rodents." Male frogs he studied actually become hermaphrodites after exposure to this chemical.
  
  

Lethal Effects on Frogs

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has advised users of Roundup and other products containing glyphosate to be careful not to contaminate surface water with this product, its used container or plants sprayed with it. Such contamination results in the death of amphibians and other animals, according to the International Organization for Biological Control.
  
  

Immune System Suppression

• Atrazine compromises the immune systems of amphibians, which results in an increase in the number of diseases these creatures contract. Dr. Tyrone Hayes studied atrazine for Syngenta Crop Protection, which is a chemical company. He learned that this chemical is responsible for making amphibians more likely to develop diseases. "The Journal of Experimental Biology" reported Hayes' findings in March 2010: white blood cell counts were significantly lower in frogs exposed to this chemical. Other creatures such as snails, which carry diseases that spread to amphibians, are helped by the algae that atrazine causes to grow. "It's a perfect storm of infection: Atrazine makes amphibians more vulnerable to disease, and carriers of disease more common," states Wired.com.