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National Drinking Water Database - Chemical Contaminants

Picloram

Status: Regulated - EPA has established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Picloram is an herbicide that may contaminate drinking water sources due to runoff from applications to pasture, rangeland and rights-of-way. [read more]

Picloram Picloram has been a registered herbicide since 1964 and is now used against broad-leaved weeds, woody plants and small grain crops (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 1995; California Environmental Protection Agency 1997f). In 1994, an estimated 700 to 1,430 pounds of picloram were applied to U.S. land, mostly in pasture, rangeland and rights-of-way (such as eclectic utilities, roadways and railroads) (USEPA 1995). The major source of picloram in drinking water is herbicide runoff. Picloram does not adhere to soil and has been found in groundwater (USEPA 2009b). Long-term exposure to picloram in laboratory animals causes reduced testicular size and damage to the liver and thyroid. In rats, developmental exposure to picloram can cause abnormal skeletal development (California Environmental Protection Agency 1997f). According to EPA, people who drink water containing picloram in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 0.5 mg/L (parts per million or ppm) for many years could experience liver problems (USEPA 2009b).

	Detected	Found above health guidelines	Found above legal limit
States	15	-	-
Water utilities	48	-	-
People Served	1,572,824	-	-

Health Concerns for Picloram:

• Occupational hazards
• Cancer

Picloram Exposure by State

Water utilities in 15 states have reported detecting Picloram in treated tap water since 2004, according to EWG's analysis of water quality data supplied by state water agencies.

State	Water Suppliers with Picloram contamination
	Systems	Population
North Carolina	9	817,545
Florida	6	251,027
Delaware	1	201,000
Indiana	3	141,928
Wisconsin	7	47,936
Massachusetts	3	44,350
Maryland	3	19,259
Ohio	1	16,500
Illinois	1	13,535
California	2	6,100
Oregon	2	5,027
Montana	5	3,827
New Mexico	3	3,718
New York	1	800
Michigan	1	272
Total	48	1,572,824

The Most Polluted Communities

48 water utilities reported detecting Picloram in tap water since 2004, according to EWG's analysis of water quality data supplied by state water agencies

Ranked by highest average Picloram level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Graceland Village Warsaw, IN	110	4 of 8	3.1 ppb (0 to 9.4 ppb)
2	WI Public Service Corp Weston 1 & 2 Rothschild, WI	50	1 of 2	1.2 ppb (0 to 2.4 ppb)
3	Evergreen Mobile Home Community Battle Creek, MI	272	3 of 3	1.17 ppb (0.5 to 2 ppb)
4	Sunset Bay S/D Mooresville, NC	53	4 of 7	1.14 ppb (0 to 3.1 ppb)
5	Town of Plains Plains, MT	1,340	5 of 6	0.78 ppb (0 to 1.4 ppb)
6	San Lucas Wd San Lucas, CA	500	1 of 2	0.5 ppb (0 to 1 ppb)
7	Wood Dale Wood Dale, IL	13,535	1 of 5	0.38 ppb (0 to 1.9 ppb)
8	Alliant-Columbia Energy Center Portage, WI	170	1 of 2	0.3 ppb (0 to 0.6 ppb)
9	City of Vale Vale, OR	1,997	1 of 2	0.25 ppb (0 to 0.5 ppb)
10	Shirley Water District Shirley, MA	3,850	1 of 4	0.15 ppb (0 to 0.6 ppb)

Health Based Limits for Picloram

Standard	Description	Level
Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL)	The enforceable standard which defines the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to health-based limits (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs) as feasible using the best available analytical and treatment technologies and taking cost into consideration. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.	500 ppb
Maximum Contaminant Limit Goal (MCLG)	A non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.	500 ppb
California Public Health Goals	Defined by the State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) as the level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. For acutely toxic substances, levels are set at which scientific evidence indicates that no known or anticipated adverse effects on health will occur, plus an adequate margin-of safety. PHGs for carcinogens or other substances which can cause chronic disease shall be based solely on health effects without regard to cost impacts and shall be set at levels which OEHHA has determined do not pose any significant risk to health.	500 ppb
Drinking Water Equivalent Level	A lifetime exposure concentration protective of adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects, that assumes all of the exposure to a contaminant is from drinking water. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.	700 ppb
Children's health-based limit for 1-day exposure	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for up to one day of exposure. The One-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.	20000 ppb
Children's health-based limit for 10-day exposure	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic effects for up to ten days of exposure. The Ten-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.	20000 ppb

Testing Summary for Picloram

Are tests routinely required for Picloram by federal law?	Yes
Water suppliers reporting tests for Picloram (2004-2009):	20,163 of 47,576
Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (2004-2009):	0.4 per year

Violation Summary for Picloram

Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards for Picloram since 2004

Maximum Contaminant Level Exceedance Violations	0
Monitoring Violations	1,772
Reporting Violations	0

Occupational hazards

Type of concern:	Reference:
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses	RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007

Cancer

Type of concern:	Reference:
One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results	RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1984
One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results	RTECS®- Mutation Research 1978

Government, industry, academic studies and classifications

government/industry list/academic study	appears on list as	classification(s)
RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007	PICOLINIC ACID, 4-AMINO-3,5,6-TRICHLORO-	• occupationally related - ACGIH TLV (human TWA)
RTECS®- Mutation Research 1978	PICOLINIC ACID, 4-AMINO-3,5,6-TRICHLORO-	• mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (other micro-organisms )
RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1984	PICOLINIC ACID, 4-AMINO-3,5,6-TRICHLORO-	• mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae )

references

government/industry list/academic study	reference
RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007	RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007
RTECS®- Mutation Research 1978	RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 57,277,1978
RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1984	RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika. Cytology and Genetics. For English translation, see CYGEDX. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 18,455,1984

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