Summary of potable well monitoring conducted for aldicarb and its metabolites in the United States in 2005.
United States potable well monitoring in the Pacific Northwest, California, Texas, Mississippi delta, and the Southeast was conducted in 2005 to provide estimates of dietary exposure to aldicarb carbamate residues (aldicarb and its two carbamate metabolites) in potentially vulnerable potable wells. Samples were analyzed from 1,673 drinking water wells in nine major use areas that were within 300 m of fields treated at least once with aldicarb between 2002 and 2005. Analyses were performed with a high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analytical method with limits of quantitation of 0.021 microg/L for aldicarb and aldicarb sulfone and 0.027 microg/L for aldicarb sulfoxide. The method detection limits were 0.0070 microg/L for aldicarb and aldicarb sulfone and 0.0090 microg/L for aldicarb sulfoxide. Samples from 1,513 of the 1,673 wells contained no aldicarb carbamate residues. Only 10 wells had total aldicarb carbamate residues above 1 microg/L, the maximum being 2.9 microg/L. All residues were below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Health Advisory Limit (HAL) of 10 microg/L. Given the number of samples collected in this study, there is a 95% confidence level that the maximum concentration in this study exceeds the 99.8th percentile of concentrations of all potable wells located within 300 m of fields recently treated with aldicarb. Therefore, the data from this study show that the restrictions and management practices on the current product label continue to be effective in preventing residues in excess of the 10 microg/L HAL in potable wells in these use areas.
Bayer CropScience, 17745 South Metcalf Avenue, Stilwell, Kansas 66085, USA. russell.jones@bayercropscience.com
Russell L
RL
Jones
Richard
R
Allen
D000448:Aldicarb / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis*; D014481:United States; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D007306:Insecticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D000448:Aldicarb