Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Shangri La Subdivision

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.

 

24

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
2019ND60ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND60ND
2023ND40ND

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
2019-06-19Q1937663011ND
2019-06-19Q1937663012ND
2019-06-19Q1937663001ND
2019-07-08Q1942348001ND
2019-08-12Q1954006001ND
2019-11-14Q1976938001ND
2020-02-12Q2005778001ND
2020-06-25Q2025622007ND
2020-09-15Q2036524001ND
2020-12-03Q2048409001ND
2021-03-16Q2106817003ND
2021-06-16Q2115844001ND
2021-08-18Q2122394001ND
2021-12-14Q2135513001ND
2022-03-22AF91423ND
2022-03-22AF91427ND
2022-03-22AF91440ND
2022-06-06Q2215732001ND
2022-09-19Q2227944001ND
2022-11-28Q2235271001ND
2023-02-21Q2307017003ND
2023-05-08Q2317258001ND
2023-09-21Q2340999001ND
2023-12-04Q2351274002ND