Aldrin in Drinking Water

🩨 Health Effects

A banned organochlorine pesticide that is highly toxic to humans and wildlife. Accumulates in fatty tissue and the food chain. No current federal MCL exists in drinking water. Health effects include nervous system damage and possible cancer.

📍 Sources in Water

Used as an insecticide on corn and other crops and as a termiticide until it was banned in 1974. Persists in soil for decades. Residues can still be found in some groundwater near former treatment sites.

✅ What To Do

Activated carbon and reverse osmosis can remove aldrin. If aldrin is detected in your water, contact your utility or state environmental agency, as this may indicate historical pesticide contamination in your area.

📜 Regulation History

Aldrin has no federal MCL but is listed under the EPA's unregulated contaminant monitoring. It was banned in the US in 1974 and internationally under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The WHO guideline for aldrin/dieldrin combined is 0.00003 mg/L (0.03 ppb). Some states have set their own enforceable limits.

🔬 How To Test Your Water

Certified lab tests for aldrin cost $75-$150 using EPA Method 508.1 (GC/ECD). Home test kits are not available. Testing is mainly relevant for private wells near sites where aldrin was historically applied, particularly former agricultural or termite treatment areas.

💧 Which Filters Remove Aldrin?

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is very effective at adsorbing aldrin due to its low solubility and strong affinity for carbon. Reverse osmosis also removes aldrin. Because aldrin binds strongly to soil particles, sediment filtration provides additional removal.

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