Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Cedar Point

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.

 

30

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND50ND
2020ND50ND
2021ND50ND
2022ND50ND
2023ND50ND

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
2018-02-15AE14225ND
2018-03-28AE20739ND
2018-05-23AE27598ND
2018-09-14AE40329ND
2018-11-29AE47436ND
2019-02-28AE56705ND
2019-02-28AE56707ND
2019-05-28AE68292ND
2019-09-11AE83066ND
2019-11-19AE89836ND
2020-02-18AE98850ND
2020-02-18AE98852ND
2020-06-08AF14545ND
2020-09-01AF26106ND
2020-11-05AF33548ND
2021-03-11AF46640ND
2021-03-11AF46641ND
2021-05-24AF55179ND
2021-09-13AF69646ND
2021-11-02Q2130957001ND
2022-01-31AF82697ND
2022-01-31AF82698ND
2022-04-19AF93689ND
2022-08-18AG10099ND
2022-12-20AG22436ND
2023-02-21AG29806ND
2023-02-21AG29807ND
2023-04-19AG37417ND
2023-09-06AG55188ND
2023-12-14AG66720ND