EWG INVESTIGATION

Findings

About The Data

News Release

EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

Related News Clips

WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

Find Your Water Company

NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

Find a Contaminant

Credits

Sign up to receive email updates from EWG

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

Dieldrin is a banned insecticide, used primarily on corn and cotton, and a breakdown product of aldrin. Potential health impacts associated with Dieldrin include cancer, cardiovascular or blood toxicity, endocrine toxicity, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, immunotoxicity, kidney toxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and respiratory toxicity.

Sources of Dieldrin:

Agriculture (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Dieldrin tests reported by 15,519 public water suppliers in 36 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 286 thousand people in 44 communities drank water contaminated with Dieldrin. In all of these communities, tap water was contaminated at levels above health-based thresholds. Dieldrin remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

285,826 People drinking water contaminated with Dieldrin 44 Communities served water contaminated with Dieldrin 285,826 People drinking water contaminated with Dieldrin over health based limits 44 Communities served water with Dieldrin above health based limits

Table. Dieldrin Exposure by State

286 thousand Americans in 6 states were served tap water contaminated with Dieldrin at levels above health-based limits between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Dieldrin contamination		Water suppliers reporting Dieldrin above health-based limits
	Systems	Population	Systems	Population
Delaware	1	200,000	1	200,000
North Carolina	32	63,429	32	63,429
Arizona	2	11,316	2	11,316
Illinois	3	9,278	3	9,278
Nebraska	3	1,576	3	1,576
Wisconsin	3	227	3	227
Total	44	285,826	44	285,826

Table. The most polluted communities

286,000 Americans in 44 communities were served tap water contaminated with Dieldrin above health based limits between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Dieldrin level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Braxton Hills / Simmons Heights Fayetteville, NC	698	3 of 3	0.47 ppb (0.05 to 1.3 ppb)
2	Fairfield Acres Landis, NC	158	1 of 1	0.18 ppb (0.18 to 0.18 ppb)
3	Fairfax S / D Denver, NC	150	1 of 8	0.11 ppb (0 to 0.9 ppb)
4	Marana Municipal-heart Ma Tucson, AZ	1,059	1 of 1	0.1 ppb (0.1 to 0.1 ppb)
5	Glen Flora Glen Flora, WI	150	1 of 1	0.1 ppb (0.1 to 0.1 ppb)
6	Riverside Apts Burlington, WI	37	1 of 1	0.1 ppb (0.1 to 0.1 ppb)
7	Jensens Mobile Home Village Waterford, WI	40	1 of 1	0.1 ppb (0.1 to 0.1 ppb)
8	Walnut Tree S / D Denver, NC	109	1 of 1	0.07 ppb (0.07 to 0.07 ppb)
9	Mountainbrook S / D Denver, NC	76	1 of 1	0.07 ppb (0.07 to 0.07 ppb)
10	Neuse Woods Mh S / D Charlotte, NC	298	4 of 25	0.06 ppb (0 to 1.2 ppb)

  Next -->

Health based limits for Dieldrin

Health Limit	Limit Value	Limit Description
One in ten thousand (10-4) Cancer Risk	0.2 ppb	The concentration of a chemical in drinking water corresponding to an excess estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 10,000. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Human Health Water Quality Criteria	<0.01 ppb	Water quality criteria set by the US EPA provide guidance for states and tribes authorized to establish water quality standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect human health. These are non-enforceable standards based upon exposure by both drinking water and the contribution of water contamination to other consumed foods. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 1-day exposure	0.5 ppb	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.
Children's health-based limit for 10-day exposure	0.5 ppb	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.
Drinking Water Equivalent Level	2 ppb	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.

Testing Summary for Dieldrin

Water suppliers report an average of 0.4 Dieldrin tests per year. 24,232 water suppliers failed to report any Dieldrin tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Dieldrin by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Dieldrin (1998-2003): 15,519 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.4 per year

Dieldrin Violations

Because Dieldrin 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 Dieldrin, and any level is legal in tap water.