Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Boonville PWS

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.

 

23

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

7

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.308 ppb42ND - 0.920 ppb
20190.533 ppb42ND - 1.29 ppb
2020ND40ND
20210.648 ppb42ND - 2.01 ppb
2022ND40ND
20230.810 ppb31ND - 2.43 ppb

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
2018-02-27AD148340.310 ppb
2018-05-23AD208390.920 ppb
2018-08-22AD31540ND
2018-11-29AD36120ND
2019-03-08AD399220.840 ppb
2019-05-21AD478061.29 ppb
2019-08-28AD54394ND
2019-11-20AD58419ND
2020-02-242001431ND
2020-05-272008890ND
2020-08-192013087ND
2020-12-092018026ND
2021-02-232100660ND
2021-05-2621109342.01 ppb
2021-08-232115277ND
2021-11-2321195110.580 ppb
2022-02-222201954ND
2022-05-232211549ND
2022-09-132216237ND
2022-11-282221165ND
2023-02-232300575ND
2023-05-2223081242.43 ppb
2023-09-192313319ND