Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Pratt, City of

Atrazine is a herbicide commonly detected in drinking water that comes from cornfield and other agricultural runoff. It is a hormone disrupter that harms the male and female reproductive systems of people and wildlife. Read More.

Federal laws allow up to 3 parts per billion of atrazine in treated tap water. Water suppliers average atrazine measurements collected over a year, which means that the reported values underestimate intense spikes of elevated exposures during the periods in late spring and early summer when atrazine is applied in large amounts on farm fields.

Human epidemiological studies suggest that federal standards for atrazine are insufficient to protect public health. In 1999 the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set a public health goal of 0.15 parts per billion for atrazine in drinking water, based on a study finding increased rates of breast cancer in rats exposed to the chemical. California’s legal maximum for atrazine in tap water is 1 ppb.

Click here to read more about atrazine.

 

30

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND110ND
2021ND30ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND120ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.1 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for atrazine was defined by EWG based on epidemiological studies of human exposure to atrazine in drinking water.. This health guideline protects against harm to the developing fetus, harm to the reproductive system and hormone disruption.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 3 ppb

The legal limit for atrazine, established in 1991, was based on a toxicity study in laboratory animals conducted in the 1980s. This limit does not fully protect against harm to the reproductive system, harm to the developing fetus, and hormone disruption.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2020-08-041472577ND
2020-08-041472576ND
2020-08-041472575ND
2020-08-041472574ND
2020-08-041472578ND
2020-08-041472585ND
2020-08-041472584ND
2020-08-041472582ND
2020-08-041472581ND
2020-08-041472580ND
2020-11-161661352ND
2021-04-131817297ND
2021-05-101836525ND
2021-11-082019368ND
2022-02-072184794ND
2022-05-022247417ND
2022-08-082328252ND
2022-11-012388119ND
2023-02-062445642ND
2023-05-082497240ND
2023-08-012547817ND
2023-08-012547816ND
2023-08-012547810ND
2023-08-012547811ND
2023-08-012547812ND
2023-08-012547813ND
2023-08-012547814ND
2023-08-012547815ND
2023-09-132575318ND
2023-10-102589869ND