Aldicarb in Drinking Water

🩨 Health Effects

Aldicarb is one of the most acutely toxic pesticides. It inhibits acetylcholinesterase, causing nervous system effects: nausea, sweating, dizziness, weakness, and in severe cases seizures. Long-term lower-level exposure causes similar nervous system effects.

📍 Sources in Water

A carbamate insecticide applied to cotton, potatoes, and other crops. It is highly water-soluble and leaches readily into groundwater. Many states have banned or restricted its use.

✅ What To Do

Reverse osmosis and activated carbon can reduce aldicarb. Many states have standards stricter than the federal MCL. Violations are most common in sandy-soil agricultural areas where it was heavily applied.

📜 Regulation History

The EPA set the aldicarb MCL at 0.003 mg/L (3 ppb) in 1991 under the Phase II rule. Bayer voluntarily phased out aldicarb production in the US by 2018. Several states including New York, Wisconsin, and Florida had adopted stricter standards or banned its use before the federal phaseout. There is no current WHO guideline for aldicarb in drinking water.

🔬 How To Test Your Water

Certified lab tests for aldicarb cost $50-$100 using EPA Method 531.1. Home test kits are not available. Testing is relevant for private wells in sandy-soil agricultural areas where aldicarb was historically applied, particularly on Long Island, Florida, and in the Southeast.

💧 Which Filters Remove Aldicarb?

Reverse osmosis (NSF/ANSI 58 certified) effectively removes aldicarb. Granular activated carbon also provides reduction. Because aldicarb is highly water-soluble, it is not as strongly adsorbed by carbon as some other pesticides. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 certification for pesticide reduction.

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