14 samples, standard-grown
2013 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year
Pesticide residues found on water, groundwater
50% of standard-grown samples had at least one detected residue. Standard-grown means samples not identified as organic (called conventional in the source data). Detection does not, by itself, mean the food was unsafe.
All reported results below quantification
Two or more residues detected
Highest observed count: 20
Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance
Withheld: only 0 samples
Annual context
How monitored results changed
Each row is a separate targeted survey. Samples can differ by retailer, origin and season, so this is context rather than a trend claim.
| Year | Standard-grown samples | Any residue | Multiple residues | Organic samples | Organic any residue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 ↗Calendar year | 14 | 50% | 35.7% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2012 ↗Calendar year | 168 | 59.5% | 47% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2011 ↗Calendar year | 604 | 73.3% | 58.1% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2010 ↗Calendar year | 250 | 25.2% | 16.8% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2009 ↗Calendar year | 278 | 54.7% | 42.4% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2008 ↗Calendar year | 249 | 39% | 24.5% | 0 | Withheld |
| 2007 ↗Calendar year | 272 | 35.3% | 21.3% | 0 | Withheld |
Residue detail
What was found on water, groundwater?
The most frequently detected residues across all 14 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.
14samples checked
Detection does not establish harm. Health risk depends on both toxicity and the amount a person is exposed to.
What do these types mean?
- FungicideControls fungal diseases such as moulds and mildews.
- InsecticideControls insects that damage crops or stored food.
- HerbicideControls weeds competing with a crop.
- Growth regulatorChanges plant growth, development or ripening.
- Other / mixedCovers multiple substances or a role that cannot be reliably assigned from the published name.
These labels describe agricultural function, not a toxicity ranking.
| Residue | Type | Samples | Median | Higher result | Typical published limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metolachlor ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) | Other / mixed | 4 (28.6%) | 172.5 mg/kg | 1,308 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| 2,4-D | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 6.85 mg/kg | 9.5 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Desethyl-desisopropyl atrazine | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 111.15 mg/kg | 194 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Hexazinone | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 8.05 mg/kg | 11.1 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Atrazine | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 63.5 mg/kg | 86 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Desisopropyl atrazine | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 49 mg/kg | 83 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Desethyl atrazine | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 153 mg/kg | 265 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Acetochlor ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 20.85 mg/kg | 39 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Alachlor ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 396 mg/kg | 778 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Metolachlor oxanilic acid (OA) | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 66.55 mg/kg | 75.1 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Hydroxy atrazine | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 14 mg/kg | 25 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Triclopyr | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 25 mg/kg | 25 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Azoxystrobin | Fungicide | 1 (7.1%) | 11.8 mg/kg | 11.8 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Diazinon | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 81 mg/kg | 81 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Simazine | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 5.4 mg/kg | 5.4 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Metolachlor | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 9.3 mg/kg | 9.3 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Propazine | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.7 mg/kg | 0.7 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Bentazon | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.73 mg/kg | 0.73 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Tebuthiuron | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.35 mg/kg | 0.35 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Prometon | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 1.5 mg/kg | 1.5 mg/kg | 0.000 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
“Higher result” is an approximate 95th-percentile observed concentration, not a safety threshold. Amounts of different pesticides should not be added together or compared directly. Functional types describe their usual agricultural role; they are not hazard or toxicity rankings.
ADI and ARfD are intake reference values, not limits for one food sample. A personal assessment would also require consumption, body-weight and wider exposure data. Source programmes report legal Maximum Residue Level results separately.
What this tells you
A monitoring result, not a verdict.
USDA PDP selects rotating commodities, with emphasis on foods important to consumer diets, including foods eaten by infants and children. It is not a test of every water, groundwater product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2013.
Comparable annual records are available for 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.
Published MRLs or tolerances are regulatory limits associated with pesticide use. Consumer-risk assessment is a separate process.
Limited sample coverage. Fewer than 20 samples: useful as a monitoring snapshot, but sensitive to individual results.
Compare organic and standard-grown results →Common questions
How to read these water, groundwater results
Were pesticide residues detected on water, groundwater?
50% of 14 standard-grown samples in the 2013 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.
Does that mean water, groundwater were unsafe?
No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.
Should I buy organic water, groundwater?
There were only 0 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.