EWG INVESTIGATION

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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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NATIONAL SUMMARY

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CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

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Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

3-Hydroxycarbofuran is a metabolite of Carbofuran insecticide, a fumigant used on rice and alfalfa. No information on potential health impacts for 3-Hydroxycarbofuran was identified in standard government and academic sources.

Sources of 3-Hydroxycarbofuran:

Agriculture (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

An Environmental Working Group analysis of 3-Hydroxycarbofuran tests reported by 15,318 public water suppliers in 37 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 18 thousand people in 13 communities drank water contaminated with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran. No health-based limit has been established by the federal government.3-Hydroxycarbofuran remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

18,336 People drinking water contaminated with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran 13 Communities served water contaminated with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran

Table. 3-Hydroxycarbofuran Exposure by State

18 thousand Americans in 8 states were served tap water contaminated with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran contamination
	Systems	Population
Arizona	2	11,316
Wisconsin	5	4,113
North Carolina	1	1,824
New Hampshire	1	418
New York	1	220
Utah	1	220
Wyoming	1	150
Maine	1	75
Total	13	18,336

Table. The most polluted communities

18,000 Americans in 13 communities were served tap water contaminated with 3-Hydroxycarbofuran between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average 3-Hydroxycarbofuran level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Holiday Acres / Summit Allenstown, NH	418	1 of 1	13 ppb (13 to 13 ppb)
2	Manila Manila, UT	220	1 of 2	1.85 ppb (0 to 3.7 ppb)
3	Ladysmith Waterworks Ladysmith, WI	3,826	1 of 3	1.7 ppb (0 to 5.1 ppb)
4	Glen Flora Glen Flora, WI	150	1 of 1	1 ppb (1 to 1 ppb)
5	Piper Stream Mobile Home Park Fryeburg, ME	75	1 of 2	1 ppb (0 to 2 ppb)
6	Green Acres Trailer Court Mauston, WI	60	1 of 1	1 ppb (1 to 1 ppb)
7	Riverside Apts Burlington, WI	37	1 of 1	1 ppb (1 to 1 ppb)
8	Jensens Mobile Home Village Waterford, WI	40	1 of 1	1 ppb (1 to 1 ppb)
9	Marana Municipal-heart Ma Tucson, AZ	1,059	1 of 1	0.5 ppb (0.5 to 0.5 ppb)
10	Yellowstone Np Mammoth Hot Spg Yellowstone Np, WY	150	1 of 3	0.47 ppb (0 to 1.4 ppb)

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Testing Summary for 3-Hydroxycarbofuran

Water suppliers report an average of 0.4 3-Hydroxycarbofuran tests per year. 24,433 water suppliers failed to report any 3-Hydroxycarbofuran tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for 3-Hydroxycarbofuran by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for 3-Hydroxycarbofuran (1998-2003): 15,318 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.4 per year

3-Hydroxycarbofuran Violations

Because 3-Hydroxycarbofuran is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for 3-Hydroxycarbofuran, and any level is legal in tap water.