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State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Quality GAMA Program DBCP OCCURRENCE Anthropogenic Sources Prior to 1979, DBCP was primarily used as a soil fumigant for the control of nematodes in over 40 different crops in the United States. Today, very small quantities of DBCP are manufactured only for the purpose of chemical synthesis of other compounds. Natural Sources DBCP is a manufactured chemical that does not occur naturally in the environment. History of Occurrence Data collected on workers involved in the manufacturing and formulation of DBCP has shown that DBCP can cause sterility at very low levels of exposure. Agricultural application of DBCP was banned in the United States in 1979, with the exception of use in the Hawaiian pineapple industry. Usage of DBCP in the pineapple farming industry was banned in 1985. Today, DBCP is only used as a chemical intermediary in the manufacturing of synthetic compounds. The total volume of DBCP manufactured for this purpose is believed to be very small. In California, DBCP was used extensively prior to 1979. DBCP was one of the most useful and simple to use nematicides. In 1977, 426,000 pounds of DBCP were used in California, primarily on grapes and tomatoes. DBCP has been detected in public groundwater sources in California, with the majority of occurrences in Fresno, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, and Tulare counties. Contaminant Transport DBCP dissolves in water and may occur as a dense non- Characteristics aqueous phase liquid. Its density is greater than water and free phase DBCP may sink to the bottom of an aquifer where it can persist for long periods of time. The half-life of DBCP in an aquifer with a temperature of 15' C is estimated at 141 years. In the atmosphere, DBCP is easily broken down by sunlight. DBCP is not likely to accumulate in aquatic life. Revised: July, 2016