Aldicarb in Drinking Water
EPA limits, health effects, and what to do if your water is affected.
🩨 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.
Check your tap water for Aldicarb
Search your ZIP code to see if your water system has had Aldicarb violations, plus lead testing results and an overall safety grade.
Search your ZIP code →Data from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). MCLs reflect minimum federal standards; some contaminants may pose health risks below these thresholds.