S-chloropropane (DBCP)
DBCP·Affects reproductive, kidneys
Dibromochloropropane (DBCP), a banned soil fumigant that sterilized chemical-plant workers in the 1970s. Persistent groundwater contamination across California, Hawaii, and Arizona.
DBCP
EPA limit
0.0002 mg/L (MCL)
Most at risk
Well-water households in California's Central Valley, Hawaii, Arizona, and other historic DBCP application areas
Found in
City water · Well water
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
DBCP (dibromochloropropane) is one of the most notorious reproductive toxicants the EPA regulates. In 1977, male workers at an Occidental Chemical plant in California discovered they had become sterile from handling DBCP on the job. The compound destroys spermatogenic cells in the testes and is associated with reduced sperm count, infertility, and sterility in exposed men. The EPA banned most uses in 1979 and all uses by 1985.
DBCP is classified as likely to be carcinogenic to humans. Animal studies show tumors at multiple sites including the stomach, liver, kidney, and nasal cavity. The kidneys are a primary target organ for chronic damage in addition to the reproductive system.
The MCL is set at 0.0002 mg/L (0.2 ppb), one of the lowest enforced limits in the entire drinking water regulation framework, reflecting the severity of the reproductive and carcinogenic concerns.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
DBCP was used heavily from the 1950s through 1979 as a soil fumigant to control nematodes on grapes, citrus, peaches, pineapples, tomatoes, and many other crops. The compound is highly water-soluble, weakly binds to soil, and resists microbial breakdown, making it exceptionally persistent and mobile in groundwater.
Decades after the ban, DBCP remains a defining groundwater contaminant in California's Central Valley (especially around Fresno), southern California citrus regions, Hawaii's former pineapple lands, and parts of Arizona. Hundreds of municipal wells across these areas have been closed, blended, or retrofitted with carbon treatment specifically because of DBCP.
Former soil fumigation areas
Grapes, citrus, peaches, pineapples treated pre-1979
Legacy groundwater contamination
Highly persistent and mobile in aquifers
Municipal wells in California and Hawaii
Many wells operate dedicated DBCP carbon treatment
Former chemical manufacturing sites
Worker-exposure history at Occidental and Dow plants
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
Public utilities in known DBCP areas test extensively for the compound and report results in the annual Consumer Confidence Report. California's Division of Drinking Water and Hawaii's Department of Health maintain detailed DBCP monitoring data, and affected utilities have operated dedicated carbon treatment specifically for DBCP for decades.
Private well owners in California's Central Valley, southern California, Hawaii, or other historic DBCP regions should test for DBCP and related fumigants (ethylene dibromide, 1,2,3-trichloropropane) as a baseline. State environmental agencies and county extension services can advise on local contamination history and offer subsidized testing in many areas.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
DBCP is filtered efficiently by activated carbon. The coconut shell carbon stage in The AquaOx adsorbs DBCP molecules as water passes through the bed. Municipal-scale granular activated carbon has been the workhorse remediation technology for DBCP-contaminated water supplies for decades, and the same adsorption chemistry applies in a whole-house system.
For well-water households in known DBCP 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.