Maryland

Ground Water

PWSID: 0160002 CITY OF BOWIE

Plant Id:  01 BOWIE WTP FOR WELLS

BHC-GAMMA(LINDANE) 16-JAN-97 <.01 ug / L

Target Compounds for National Reconnaissance of Emerging Contaminants in US Streams

NATURAL RESOURCES
CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

Pesticides: Health Effects in Drinking Water

by

Nancy M. Trautmann and Keith S. Porter
Center for Environmental Research
and
Robert J. Wagenet
Dept. of Agronomy
Cornell University

Between 1950 and 1980 production of synthetic organic pesticides more than tripled in the United States, from about 400 million pounds in 1950 to over 1.4 billion pounds in 1980. Although most of these compounds have not been detected in groundwater, a few have become significant contaminants. Twenty- two pesticides have been detected in U.S. wells, and up to 80 are estimated to have the potential for movement to groundwater under favorable conditions. One area with conditions highly conducive to leaching is Long Island, New York, where soils are sandy, the water table is shallow, and agriculture is intensive. A total of l3 pesticides have been detected at least once in Long Island groundwater, and 8 of these have been found multiple times through continued monitoring. In upstate New York, sampling for pesticides has been limited to measurement of aldicarb in wells near treated fields. Low concentrations of aldicarb have been detected in 30 percent of the 76 wells sampled. Twenty-two other states, including Maine, Maryland, and New Jersey, also have reported some pesticide contamination of groundwater.

Types of Pesticides in Groundwater

The health effects of pesticides depend upon their chemical characteristics. Before the 1940s most pesticides were compounds of arsenic, mercury, copper, or lead. Although these compounds may have made their way into drinking water, they were not highly soluble, and the residues ingested in foods were of far greater concern. Synthetic organic pesticides were introduced during World War II and were thought to be far safer and more effective. These included chlorinated hydrocarbons such as DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, lindane, endrin, and toxaphene. Because of their low solubility in water and their strong tendency to chemically attach to soil particles, these compounds have rarely contaminated groundwater. They originally were thought to be safe to humans and the environment, but later were discovered to accumulate in the environment and build up to toxic concentrations in food chains. Use of most of the chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, consequently, has been restricted, suspended, or canceled.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/pes-heef-grw85.html

Maryland

Resource Conservation Office Soil Conservation Committee Land Preservation Foundation Maryland Environmental Service 2011 Commerce Park Drive Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone:410/974-7281 Fax: 410/974-7267 

Environment Department 2500 Broening Highway Baltimore, MD 21224 Telephone:410/631-3000 Fax: 410/631-3888 

Air and Radiation Management Administration Technical and Regulatory Services Administration Waste Management Administration Water Management Administration Natural Resources Department Tawes State Office Building Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone:410/974-3195 Fax: 410/974-5206 

Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Program Public Lands Resource Management Services Chesapeake Bay Commission 60 West Street, Suite 200 Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone:410/263-3420 Fax: 410/263-9338