Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Friona Municipal Water System

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.

 

14

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

1

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.1000 ppb32ND - 0.200 ppb
20190.0333 ppb31ND - 0.1000 ppb
20200.0500 ppb21ND - 0.1000 ppb
20210.0333 ppb31ND - 0.1000 ppb
2022ND20ND
2023ND10ND

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
2018-01-16Q18017730060.1000 ppb
2018-01-16Q1801773007ND
2018-07-30Q18300460050.200 ppb
2019-01-17Q19027510050.1000 ppb
2019-01-17Q1902751006ND
2019-04-23Q1916176005ND
2020-01-15Q20016260090.1000 ppb
2020-01-15Q2001626010ND
2021-01-13Q2100884001ND
2021-01-13Q2100884006ND
2021-04-08Q21090540030.1000 ppb
2022-01-11Q2200809002ND
2022-07-12Q2219520003ND
2023-02-16Q2306631006ND