Atrazine
Atrazine·Affects liver, reproductive, kidneys
The second-most-used herbicide in the United States and one of the most frequently detected pesticides in drinking water. Heavily applied to corn, sorghum, and sugarcane.
Atrazine
EPA limit
0.003 mg/L (MCL)
Most at risk
Rural well-water households, Midwest corn-belt residents, pregnant women
Found in
City water · Well water
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
Atrazine is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen and is one of the most studied pesticides for endocrine-disrupting effects. Animal and laboratory studies link it to disruption of reproductive hormones, mammary tumors, and altered sexual development at exposures relevant to environmental contamination.
Chronic exposure is associated with cardiovascular damage, reproductive harm, and effects on the liver and kidneys. Epidemiological studies of communities with elevated atrazine levels in tap water have reported higher rates of birth defects, low birth weight, and preterm delivery.
The European Union banned atrazine in 2004 specifically because the contamination of groundwater could not be controlled to safe levels. It remains in widespread use in the United States.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
Atrazine is applied to roughly 75 million acres of US corn each year, plus sorghum, sugarcane, and residential turf. It binds weakly to soil and is moderately water-soluble, so spring rains carry a substantial fraction into streams, rivers, and shallow groundwater within days of application.
Levels in surface water peak in late spring and early summer following application, with concentrations in Midwest rivers often spiking 10 to 100 times above the EPA limit for short periods. The compound persists in groundwater for years because subsurface degradation is slow.
Communities drawing drinking water from corn-belt rivers (Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and their tributaries) face the highest exposure, but private wells in agricultural regions are also commonly contaminated.
Corn and sorghum fields
Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide
Agricultural runoff
Storm water carries it into rivers and lakes
Shallow groundwater
Persists in aquifers for years
Municipal surface water
Common in Midwest river-fed utilities
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
Atrazine is one of the most-monitored pesticides in US drinking water. The EPA requires utilities to report a running annual average, but the limit can hide short-term spikes during application season that briefly exceed the standard by an order of magnitude.
Private well owners in agricultural regions should test for atrazine and the related triazine herbicides (simazine, propazine) at least once a year, ideally in May or June after the spring application window. Many state environmental agencies and county extension services offer subsidized testing.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
Atrazine is filtered efficiently by activated carbon. The coconut shell carbon stage in The AquaOx adsorbs atrazine molecules as water passes through, with independent testing showing reductions above 95%.
For well-water households in corn-belt regions, we recommend pairing The AquaOx with our FE Edition or RE Edition if iron or hydrogen sulfide is also present, and adding the under-sink RO for additional drinking-water polish.
Sources & further reading