How To Remove Carbofuran From Your Water – Which Filter Is Best

Carbofuran is a broad-spectrum chemical pesticide that is widely used in farms around the world for killing insects and worms. It’s a highly toxic substance that can have many poor health effects if it’s in your water.

Filters made from granular activated carbon, like Clearly Filtered’s water filter pitcher, are the most effective way to remove carbofuran from water. Reverse osmosis systems, nanofiltration, distillation and advanced oxidation techniques can also remove some carbofuran from water.

In this article, we explain which filters and systems can effectively remove carbofuran. We’ve also included how you can detect it, and what effects it can have on your health, so you know exactly what you’re dealing with.

Carbofuran In Our Water

Carbofuran is a chemical substance that falls under a group of pesticides called ‘carbamates’. It’s often marketed under the trade name ‘Furadan’ or ‘Curaterr 10 GR’. It’s a ‘broad-spectrum’ substance that can kill a wide range of insects, pests, worms and arachnids in the soil. 

Unfortunately, Carbofuran is also a systemic pesticide, which means it gets absorbed into the roots of the plant on which it’s used. It then accumulates in the leaves and fruits of the plant. The biggest problem with carbofuran is that it easily leaches into water, and can therefore reach drinking water sources. Thankfully, it can only persist in soil or water for eight to ten weeks before it naturally disintegrates.

Where Carbofuran Comes From

The main source of carbofuran in drinking water is runoff from agricultural land. Basically, we can get exposed to carbofuran in three ways:

1. Consuming plants and plant products that contain carbofuran
2. Exposure to contaminated air (in industries or on farms)
3. Drinking contaminated water

In 2009, the EPA restricted the use of carbofuran to a limited number of areas (pine seedlings, sunflowers, spinach grown for seed, potatoes, field corn, and pumpkins). This has helped reduce our exposure through food.

However, a CDC document states that about one million pounds of carbofuran have been used annually in the US in these farms. This massive amount can dissolve in the soil and ultimately reach your drinking water.

Carbofuran Contamination in water in the US

Carbofuran has been detected in tap water sources across the country. There was a study by Kimbrough and Litke in 1996, who found a carbofuran concentration of 1 microgram per liter in streams. Another study in 2007 of groundwater in the US by Gilliom et. al found similar amounts of carbofuran.

Although a more recent EWG document shows that carbofuran contamination has only been reported in six US states from 2017 to 2019, including 

• Florida
• Virginia
• New York
• Massachusetts
• Alabama
• Colorado.

Of these, only Virginia and New York showed contamination above the health limit, and none were above the legal limit for carbofuran concentration in water (thankfully).

How To Remove Carbofuran From Your Water

The only method that the EPA recommends for removing carbofuran from water is Granular Activated Charcoal. 

We have listed the different types of filters and systems that can reliably remove carbofurans here:

1. Granular Activated Carbon

Activated carbon can remove more than 95% of the total carbofuran load in your water.  Filters made from activated carbon have fine carbon particles which have a very high surface area. This surface area allows it to ‘stick’ to (or adsorb) carbofuran molecules, and produce pure, contaminant-free water for you to drink. 

Activated carbon is also very effective at removing several other forms of pesticides that may be present as co-contaminants. You can find activated carbon used in a wide variety of water filters, including 

• Water filter pitchers
• Undersink filters
• Faucet filters
• Whole house filters
• Shower filters

Considering the affordability, easy availability and established efficacy of activated charcoal in removing carbofuran, we recommend filters that use activated carbon if you are concerned about potential carbofuran contamination in your water.

However, make sure that the filter you invest in is made of GRANULAR activated carbon (there are other types, like powdered activated carbon). It’s granular activated carbon, also known as GAC, that can remove the most amount of carbofuran from water.

2. Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a powerful filtration technology that purifies water by passing it through a membrane with extremely tiny holes. RO systems can effectively remove up to 99% of pesticides, this includes some carbofuran.

Several RO systems also have a granular activated carbon filter. Which means they should be able to remove most of the carbofuran from your water. RO systems are available as:

• Whole house filters
• Undersink filters

The benefit of RO filters is that they are highly versatile, removing most types of organic and inorganic contaminants from water as well.

You can read more about how reverse osmosis removes other types of pesticides here.

3. Nanofiltration

Nanofiltration is an advanced technique which, like reverse osmosis, passes water through a membrane with extremely small pores. This filters out unwanted contaminants like pesticides. Studies have actually shown nanofiltration techniques to be up to 100% effective in removing carbofurans from water.

Whole house nanofiltration systems are available, so you may purchase one if you are concerned about pesticide contamination in your home. But they aren’t available in smaller systems. Also, these systems tend to be on the pricier side, especially considering how cheaper activated carbon filters do the job just fine. 

4. Advanced Oxidation Processes

This is another advanced technology that uses either radiation (UV lights) or chemicals (like bleach, ozone, or hydrogen peroxide) to oxidise carbofuran molecules and to make them ineffective. There have been studies showing how well they neutralize carbofuran, but no authority has approved these techniques for home-based use. 

So while it’s theoretical possible they are effective at removing carbofuran, we don’t recommend UV filters or ozonisers for isolated use for removing carbofuran.

5. Distillation

Distillation is a process of heating water into steam, and then cooling it back into water. Since carbofuran boils at 595.9 °F (313.3 °C) it should be left behind as the water boils at a much lower temperature. So this technique should remove carbofurans from water. However, this is more suited for industrial scale usage, and may not be appropriate for regular home use.

How To Know If Your water Is Contaminated With Carbofuran

1. First, you can check the EWG database that shows which areas have the possibility of carbofuran contamination.

2. If your area has been listed or if you want to confirm the safety of water in your home anyway, you can consider buying a home based test kit.

While you will not find many kits that specifically test for carbofuran, most kits designed for pesticides can tell you if you have carbofuran in your drinking water.

Mytapscore.com does have a Specialized EPA 538 Fungicide and Pesticide Water Test that can test specifically for carbofuran in your water.

3. You can also contact your local water authorities, who may have already run a test for pesticides in the drinking water supplied to your area.

Effects of Carbofuran

Acute exposure to high doses of carbofuran can cause the following effects:

1. Diarrhea
2. Nausea and vomiting
3. Excess urination and sweating
4. Visual problems (pupillary constriction)
5. Breathing difficulties
6. Low heart rate
7. Death

Unfortunately, there have NOT been adequate studies to see the effects of long term exposure on humans, and so we don’t yet know how carbofuran in your water could be affecting you. We do know that carbofuran has been found to be highly toxic in birds and other vertebrates, which warrants caution for humans as well.

Carbofurans are a group of highly toxic chemical insecticides that are still being used in the US. They may leach into groundwater, and ultimately reach your drinking water, leading to various health effects. Water filters which use activated carbon are suitable for removing carbofurans from drinking water.