Ethylene Dibromide
EDB·Affects liver, kidneys, reproductive
A legacy gasoline additive and grain fumigant. A known reproductive toxicant and probable carcinogen regulated by the EPA at one of the lowest drinking-water limits, 0.05 ppb.
EDB
EPA limit
0.00005 mg/L (MCL); 0.05 ppb
Most at risk
Households near former gas stations, grain elevators, or agricultural fumigation areas; private wells in the rural Southeast and Hawaii
Found in
Well water · Industrial areas
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
EDB is one of the more toxic chemicals regulated in drinking water. It is a known reproductive toxicant that damages sperm production and fertility, and the EPA classifies it as a probable human carcinogen with strong animal evidence of tumors at multiple organ sites including the liver, kidneys, and stomach.
Acute exposure causes severe liver, kidney, and respiratory damage. The chronic concern in drinking water is cancer risk and reproductive harm at very low doses, which is why the MCL of 0.05 ppb is among the lowest set for any regulated contaminant.
EDB is volatile, so it off-gasses from water during hot showers and contributes to inhalation exposure in addition to drinking water ingestion.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
EDB had two major uses. As a lead scavenger in leaded gasoline, it was added to fuel through the 1980s and leaked into soil and groundwater from underground gasoline storage tanks at gas stations and bulk fuel facilities. As an agricultural fumigant, it was sprayed on grain in storage and applied to soil to control nematodes through 1984.
Both uses were banned, but EDB is persistent in groundwater and continues to be detected near old gas stations, former grain elevators, and historic fumigation areas. The rural Southeast, Hawaii, and Florida have particularly widespread well contamination.
Gas stations
Legacy leaded-gasoline storage tank leaks
Grain elevators
Pre-1984 grain fumigation residues
Contaminated wells
Widespread in rural Southeast and Hawaii
Agricultural sites
Former soil fumigation areas
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
EDB is EPA-regulated, so all community water systems must test for it and report results on the Consumer Confidence Report. Detections are rare in treated city water but are common in private wells in former fumigant-use areas.
Private well owners near old gas stations, former grain storage facilities, or agricultural fumigation areas should specifically request EDB testing using a low-detection-limit method (typically EPA Method 504.1). Standard VOC panels may not reach the regulatory detection level, so confirm reporting limits with the lab.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
Activated carbon is highly effective for EDB. The Centaur catalytic carbon and coconut shell carbon stages in The AquaOx adsorb the compound as water passes through. Municipal utilities throughout Florida, Hawaii, and the rural Southeast use granular activated carbon specifically for EDB filtration.
Because the MCL is so low and EDB is both carcinogenic and a reproductive toxicant, we strongly recommend pairing The AquaOx with the under-sink RO at the kitchen tap for any household in a known EDB impact area.