Oxamyl
Vydate·Affects brain
A carbamate insecticide sold as Vydate, used on potatoes, citrus, and field crops. EPA-regulated due to acute neurological toxicity.
Vydate
EPA limit
0.2 mg/L (MCL)
Most at risk
Rural well-water households near potato, citrus, and tomato farms
Found in
City water · Well water
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
Oxamyl is a carbamate insecticide that works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that regulates nerve signal transmission. Acute exposure produces classic cholinergic symptoms: blurred vision, headaches, sweating, nausea, weakness, and in severe cases respiratory failure. The EPA classifies it as highly acutely toxic.
Chronic low-level exposure through drinking water primarily affects the nervous system. Animal studies show effects on the brain and behavior, and the EPA sets the MCL to protect against subtle neurological effects over a lifetime of exposure.
Unlike organochlorine pesticides, oxamyl does not bioaccumulate in body fat. Its danger comes from its acute toxicity and its mobility in groundwater.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
Oxamyl is highly water-soluble and weakly binds to soil, which makes it one of the more mobile pesticides in groundwater. It leaches readily from treated fields into shallow aquifers, particularly in sandy soils typical of potato-growing regions like Idaho, the Columbia Basin, Long Island, and Florida citrus country.
Once in groundwater, oxamyl can persist for months. Detections in private wells near treated fields are well-documented in USGS and state agency monitoring data.
Potato, citrus, and tomato fields
Foliar and soil insecticide application
Agricultural runoff
Leaches readily from sandy soils
Shallow groundwater
High mobility in aquifers near treated farms
Source-water rivers
Detected in surface water during application season
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
Public utilities in agricultural regions test for oxamyl and report results in the annual Consumer Confidence Report. Detections in city water are uncommon but possible where source water originates near treated fields.
Private well owners near potato, citrus, or row-crop operations should test for carbamate pesticides annually. Many state extension services offer subsidized pesticide panels that include oxamyl alongside aldicarb, carbofuran, and methomyl.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
Oxamyl is filtered efficiently by activated carbon. The coconut shell carbon stage in The AquaOx adsorbs carbamate pesticides as water passes through the bed, with independent testing showing reductions well above 90%.
For well-water households in farming regions, we recommend pairing The AquaOx with our FE or RE Edition if iron or hydrogen sulfide is also present, and adding the under-sink RO for additional drinking-water polish.