Laserfiche WebLink
Guidance and Information (or States on L..rovisions of the Sale Drinking Water Act hup://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/dwh/c-soc24-d.hm + <br />• • • <br />production exceeded 5000 lbs. Major environmental releases of 2,4-D are due to <br />agricultural applications of systemic herbicides. It is also released as a result of the <br />production or disposal of 2,4-D or its by-products. <br />From 1987 to 1993, according to EPA's Toxic Chemical Release Inventory, 2,4-D <br />releases to land and water totalled over 1 16,000 lbs. These releases were primarily from <br />cane sugar-related industries (except refineries). The largest releases occurred in Hawaii. <br />What happens to 2,4-D when it is released to the environment? <br />2,4-D is readily degraded by microbes in soil and water. Leaching to ground water may <br />occur in coarse-grained sandy soils with low organic content or with very basic soils. In <br />general little runoff occurs with 2,4-D or its amine salts. There is no evidence that <br />bioconcentration of 2,4-D occurs through the food chain. This has been known from <br />large-scale monitoring studies of soils, foods, feedstuffs, wildlife, human beings, and <br />from other environmental cycling studies. <br />How will 2,4-D be Detected in and Removed from My Drinking Water? <br />The regulation for 2,4-D became effective in 1992. Between 1993 and 1995, EPA <br />required your water supplier to collect water samples every 3 months for one year and <br />analyze them to find out if 2,4-D is present above 0.5 ppb. If it is present above this <br />level, the system must continue to monitor this contaminant. <br />If contaminant levels are found to be consistently above the MCL, your water supplier <br />must take steps to reduce the amount of 2,4-D so that it is consistently below that level. <br />The following treatment methods have been approved by EPA for removing 2,4-D: <br />Granular activated charcoal. <br />How will I know if 2,4-D is in my drinking water? <br />If the levels of 2,4-D exceed the MCL, 70 ppb, the system must notify the public via <br />newspapers, radio, TV and other means. Additional actions, such as providing alternative <br />drinking water supplies, may be required to prevent serious risks to public health. <br />Drinking Water Standards: <br />Mclg: 70 ppb <br />Mcl: 70 ppb <br />2,4-D Releases to Water and Land, 1987 to 1993 (in pounds): <br />Water Land <br />TOTALS (in pounds) 3,444 113,358 <br />3 0(5 1 I / 17/98 8:39 PN; <br />