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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

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NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

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

Aldrin is a banned insecticide and termiticide, used for field, forage, vegetable and fruit crops, primarily on corn and cotton; it was also used as wood preservative. Potential health impacts associated with Aldrin include cancer, developmental toxicity, endocrine toxicity, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory toxicity, and skin sensitivity.

Sources of Aldrin:

Agriculture (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Aldrin tests reported by 15,669 public water suppliers in 37 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 37 thousand people in 16 communities drank water contaminated with Aldrin. In all of these communities, tap water was contaminated at levels above health-based thresholds. Aldrin remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

36,576 People drinking water contaminated with Aldrin 16 Communities served water contaminated with Aldrin 36,576 People drinking water contaminated with Aldrin over health based limits 16 Communities served water with Aldrin above health based limits

Table. Aldrin Exposure by State

37 thousand Americans in 4 states were served tap water contaminated with Aldrin at levels above health-based limits between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Aldrin contamination		Water suppliers reporting Aldrin above health-based limits
	Systems	Population	Systems	Population
North Carolina	2	17,075	2	17,075
Arizona	2	11,316	2	11,316
California	9	7,958	9	7,958
Wisconsin	3	227	3	227
Total	16	36,576	16	36,576

Table. The most polluted communities

37,000 Americans in 16 communities were served tap water contaminated with Aldrin above health based limits between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Aldrin level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	South Desert Mutual Water Company Inyokern, CA	32	1 of 1	105 ppb (105 to 105 ppb)
2	Old River Mutual Water Company Bakersfield, CA	66	1 of 1	100 ppb (100 to 100 ppb)
3	Tejon Ranch Main Headquarters Lebec, CA	100	1 of 1	99 ppb (99 to 99 ppb)
4	Stallion Springs Csd Tehachapi, CA	1,800	2 of 3	63 ppb (0 to 99 ppb)
5	Krista Mutual Water Company Frazier Park, CA	530	1 of 2	51 ppb (0 to 102 ppb)
6	Manon Manor Mutual Water Company Bakersfield, CA	200	1 of 2	50 ppb (0 to 100 ppb)
7	June Lake Public Utility District Villag June Lake, CA	330	1 of 2	49.5 ppb (0 to 99 ppb)
8	Mojave Pud Mojave, CA	4,500	1 of 2	49 ppb (0 to 98 ppb)
9	June Lake P.u.d. - Down Canyon June Lake, CA	400	1 of 2	47 ppb (0 to 94 ppb)
10	Riverside Apts Burlington, WI	37	1 of 1	0.1 ppb (0.1 to 0.1 ppb)

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Health based limits for Aldrin

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	0.3 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	0.3 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	1 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 Aldrin

Water suppliers report an average of 0.4 Aldrin tests per year. 24,082 water suppliers failed to report any Aldrin tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Aldrin by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Aldrin (1998-2003): 15,669 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.4 per year

Aldrin Violations

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