Human Health Benchmarks
Human health benchmarks are non-enforceable drinking water levels that provide information about adverse health effects from drinking water exposure to contaminants that have no drinking water standards or health advisories. They can be used by states, tribes, public health officials, drinking water systems, and the public to characterize potential health risks when contaminants are detected through monitoring.
Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides (HHBPs)
Advanced testing methods now allow for the detection of pesticides in water at very low levels. Small amounts of pesticides detected in drinking water or source water for drinking water do not necessarily indicate a health risk to consumers. EPA has developed human health benchmarks for 430 pesticides to provide information to enable Tribes, states, and water systems to evaluate: (1) whether the detection level of a pesticide in drinking water or sources of drinking water may indicate a potential health risk; and (2) to help to prioritize water monitoring efforts.
The HHBPs Table includes noncancer benchmarks for exposure to pesticides that may be found in surface or ground water sources of drinking water. Noncancer benchmarks for acute (one-day) and chronic (lifetime) drinking water exposures to each pesticide were derived for the most sensitive life stage, based on the available information. The table also includes cancer benchmarks for 48 of the pesticides that have toxicity information that indicates the potential to lead to cancer. The HHBP table includes pesticides for which EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has available toxicity data but for which EPA has not yet developed either enforceable National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (i.e., MCLs) or non-enforceable HAs.