Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Town of Hampstead

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.

 

25

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND90ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND80ND
2022ND20ND
2023N/A00N/A

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
2018-06-042318845002ND
2018-06-042318845002_AND
2018-06-042318845001ND
2018-10-02E19001152001ND
2018-10-02E19001152003ND
2018-10-02E19001152005ND
2018-10-02E19001152007ND
2018-10-02E19001152009ND
2018-10-02E19001152011ND
2019-06-033037932001ND
2019-06-033037932002ND
2020-06-023106470002ND
2020-06-023106470003ND
2020-06-023106470001ND
2020-07-29E21000293001ND
2021-01-31E21001849001ND
2021-04-08E22000815006ND
2021-06-03E21003569001ND
2021-06-03E21003570001ND
2021-09-08E22000815001ND
2021-09-08E22000815011ND
2021-09-08E22000815016ND
2021-09-08E22000815021ND
2022-05-25E2201063601ND
2022-08-03E2300023805ND