FACT SHEET ON A DRINKING WATER CHEMICAL CONTAMINANT
GENERAL INFORMATION
Synonyms:
•	Tradenames: Aatrex; Aatrem; Atranex; Atratol;
Atred; Aktikon; Crisatrina; Crisazine; Cyazin;
Farmco Afrazine; G riff ex: Shell Afrazine
Herbicide: Vecfal SC: Gesapnm; Primaze
Primafol A
•	Component of: Bicep, Bullet, Extrazine, lanar
Marksman, Prozine, and Sutazine
Chemical Description:
•	An herbicide which is a member of the
chemical family of friazmes
Properties:
•	Colorless crystalline solid af room temperature
•	tow vapor pressure
» Slightly soluble in water
Production and Use:
•	Used chsefly as an herbicide to control grasses
and broadleaf weeds in numerous crops; also
used in industrial (reforestation), and home
and garden (turf and ornamentals) settings to
control perennial weeds and grasses
•	Used primarily on corn and sorghum crops,
generally applied early in the growing season
•	Most widely used herbicide in the U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE
Occurrence:
•	Reported to occur in both ground and surface
waters
•	Results of the EPA's 1990 National Pesticide
Survey (NPS) indicate that atrazine is seldom
present above the MCI of 0.003 mg/l in both
rural drinking water wells and Community
Water System (CWS) wells nationwide
Releases:
•	Enters surface water as a result of runoff from
treated fields, and enters ground water by
teaching of treated croo soils
» Mav enter ground water from direct entry mto
a well through accidental chemical spills or
improper storage near a well
Environmental Fate:
•	Moderately persistent in soils: degrades by
photolysis, and microbial, cnemtcal. and '?liat
degradation processes
•	Stable in neutral, slightly acidic, or slightly basic
media; hydrolyzed rapidly in acdic or Peso
media
•	Soil Mobility:
*	High: sand, fine sandy loam, silt loam, loam
*	Intermediate: sand, silty clay loam, sen ay
loam
*	Low to Intermediate: clay loam
•	Persistent in water: relatively staple under
environmental pH conditions; concentrations
are reduced by dilution, transport, ana
metabolism by aquatic plants, algae, and
bacteria; will adsorb to sediment
•	tow potential for bioaccumutafion, but having
an ecological magnification of 11 times »n fish
HEALTH EFFECTS
Humans:
•	No adequate studies available on the health
risks to humans
Experimental Animal*:
•	Short-term, high-dose oral exposure s'.ses
showed adverse effects upon the hear lungs,
liver, kidney, spleen, adrenal glands, and c-a -
observed effects include congestion of "~e
heart, lungs, and kidney, hypotension
antidiuresis, muscle spasms, anorexia, ana
degeneration of the adrenal glands; a so a
dermal irritant
•	Young animals are more sensitive to atrazsne
than adults
•	Long-term, high-dose oral exposure studies
showed such effects as anorexia, fluctuates
. in heart, liver, and kidney weights, carccc
degeneration and thrombosis, degeneration of
the retina, altered blood charocter-sf-cs
stiffness of the rear limbs (degeneration c' -~e
rectus femoris muscle), and mammary gora
tumors
•	No fetotoxic or teratogenic effects, bu? c a ~ses
reduced fetal weights and delays m s>ee-o
development
•	inconclusive studies on mutagenic pete-'-* 3:
and carcinogenicity of atrazine
•	Causes mammary gland cancer in Seas-®
Dawley rats

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REGULATORY PROFILE
Heotth Advitorist:
Existing Standards:
•Clean Air Act (CAA): Not regulated
•Clean Water Act (CWA):
No criteria established
•Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA):
Not regulated
~Superfund (CERCLA):
~Not regulated
•SARA; (Mot listed
•Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenttclde Act (FIFRA):
Registered
•Toxic Substances Control Act (T5CA):
Not regulated
HEALTH INFORMATION
Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG):
•	Non-enforceable levels based solely on an
evaluation of possible hearth risks and
exposure, and taking into consideration a
margin for public safety
•	Set at 0.003 mg/L to protect against damage
to the Heart, mammary glands and repro-
ductive effects
MCLG for Atrazlne 3 §,003 mg/l
{effective July Iff2)
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL):
•	Legally enforceable levels for contaminants in
public drinking wafer supplies
•	Based on health risks associated with the
contaminants, analytical methods for their
assay, and water treatment feasibility and
practicality aspects
•	Exceedance of the MCI in drinking water may
result in adverse effects which will depend
upon the contaminant concentration in water,
amount of water/contaminant ingested,
length of exposure, and other biological
parameters
MCL for Atrazine = 0.003 mg/l
(effective July 1992)
EPA Health Advisories (HA):
•	Short-term HAs: Provide acceptacle
concentrations of contaminants in water tor
up to 10 day exposures, primarily to evaluate
the public health risk resulting from an
accidental spill or an emergency
contamination situation
•	longer-term HAs: Provide guidance for
persistent water contamination situations to
cover a oeriod of up to ? years
•	Lifetime HAs; Derived in the same way as an
MCLG
Short-term HA for a child = 0 1 mg L
Longer-term HA for a child = 0.05 mg I
Longer-term HA for an adult = 0.03 mg L
Lifetime HA = 0.003 mg I
ANALYTICAL METHODS
•	Microextraction and Gas Chromatography
EPA Method 505
•	Gas Chromatography with a Nitrogen-
Phosphorous Defector
EPA Method 507
•	Liquid-Solid Extraction and Capillary Column
Gas Chromafograpby/Mass Spectrometry
EPA Method 525
WATER TREATMENT
Permanent Treatment:
•	Best Available Technology (BAT):
• Granular Activated Carbon
SHORT-TERM HAZARD ELIMINATION
» If the drinking water standards are exceeded,
install SAT or use an alternative drinmng water
supply such as bottled water
ADDITIONAL HELP
•	State of county health officials can indicate a
certified laboratory for testing
•	Experts in the state Department of
Environmental Protection or Natural Resources
may also be of help
•	The EPA has toll-free numbers for further
information on drinking water quality,
treatment technologies, for obtaining Health
Advisories, and for other regulatory information
•	EPA Hotlines are available Monday through
Friday
•Safe Drinking Water	800-426-4791
•National Pesticides:	800-858-7378
•Superfund/RCRA:	800-424-9346
•	For information on the Clean Water Act. call
(202) 260-7301
•	For information on the Toxic Substances
Control Act, call (202) 554-1404
•	for information on the Clean Air Act, call
(919) 541-2777

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