Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

2,4-D

Berwick Bayou Vista Water Works Commission

2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is a herbicide that can be applied directly to GMO corn and soy plants engineered to withstand this toxic chemical. Americans' exposures to 2,4-D from food and drinking water will likely increase in years to come as farmers plant more of these GMO crops. Read More.

2,4-D is an endocrine disruptor that interferes with thyroid hormones. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies 2,4-D as possibly carcinogenic to humans. In occupational studies, farmers exposed to 2,4-D tended to have higher incidences of damaged and malformed sperm. Laboratory animals exposed to 2,4-D during gestation are born underdeveloped and are more likely to have birth defects.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND60ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND20ND
20210.375 ppb220.270 ppb - 0.480 ppb
2022ND20ND
2023ND20ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 20 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 20 ppb for 2,4-D was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against harm to internal organs.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 70 ppb

The legal limit for 2,4-D, established in 1991, was based on toxicity studies in laboratory animals conducted in the 1980s. This limit may not fully protect against harm to the nervous system, harm to the thyroid, and hormone disruption.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-01-2535370415001ND
2018-01-2535370415001ND
2018-05-0335390206001ND
2018-05-0335390206001ND
2018-07-0935403038001ND
2018-07-0935403038001ND
2019-01-1535442693001ND
2019-01-1535442693001ND
2019-07-0935480722001ND
2019-07-0935480722001ND
2020-02-0435528640001ND
2020-10-1535585522001ND
2021-03-25356217790010.480 ppb
2021-11-30356808970010.270 ppb
2022-03-2435706097001ND
2022-07-2835735505001ND
2023-01-3035776510001ND
2023-10-0935833393001ND