Total Permethrin in Connecticut Drinking Water
By Alexander Snyder, Founder & Water Quality Data Lead
The health-based safe level for Total Permethrin, set by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), is 0.0001 mg/L. This health-protective guideline is typically stricter than federal legal limits, which have not always been updated to reflect current science.
Total Permethrin has been tracked across Connecticut drinking water. Here is what you need to know about total permethrin in your drinking water and how it may affect your household.
What Is Total Permethrin?
Total permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide widely used in agriculture, public health mosquito control, and residential pest treatment. It enters water through insecticide runoff, treated wood leaching, and stormwater. The health guideline is 500 parts per billion. Permethrin affects the nervous system and exposure may cause tremors, incoordination, and paresthesia (tingling sensations), particularly at elevated concentrations.
Is Total Permethrin in Your Water?
Enter your Connecticut ZIP code to find out if total permethrin is in your local water — and see personalized health risks for your household.
Check Your ZIP CodeHealth Effects of Total Permethrin
Tremors, incoordination, paresthesia
Safety Guidelines
Health Guideline
0.0001 mg/L
Source: EWG
Total Permethrin's health-based safe level is set below the federal legal limit.
| Standard | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health Guideline | 0.0001 mg/L | EWG |
Where Does Total Permethrin Come From?
Insecticide runoff, treated wood
How to Reduce Total Permethrin in Your Water
- 1Install a point-of-use activated carbon block filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for organic contaminant reduction; activated carbon has strong adsorption affinity for pyrethroid insecticides.
- 2A reverse osmosis system certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 provides additional removal of permethrin and other synthetic organic compounds.
- 3For whole-house treatment, use a granular activated carbon system at the point of entry to reduce permethrin in all household water.
- 4Replace carbon filter media according to the manufacturer's schedule to maintain adsorption capacity for organic compounds like permethrin.
Who Is Most Vulnerable to Total Permethrin?
The safe level of total permethrin varies significantly depending on who is drinking the water. CheckYourTap calculates adjusted safe levels for each member of your household:
A contaminant level that is safe for an adult may exceed guidelines for an infant by 4-8x or more. Check your ZIP code to see personalized results.
Reading this inside ChatGPT or Claude?
This page can tell you the general science, but not what is actually in your water’s total permethrin level — that depends on your exact address. You can get your specific answer two ways:
- Inside the chat: ask your assistant to “check my tap water with CheckYourTap”. Our connector returns your ZIP code’s measured contaminant levels — including the derived dog and cat safe levels — and, only if you ask it to, can email you the report or arrange a specialist callback.
- On the web: open CheckYourTap.com and enter your ZIP code for a free 30-second report.
Concerned about Total Permethrin in your water?
Schedule to get your water tested for total permethrin and more — a Valiant water specialist will review your results and arrange testing for your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Total Permethrin in my tap water?▾
What level of Total Permethrin is safe?▾
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Related Contaminants
Check Water Quality by ZIP Code
Sources
The legal limits and health guidelines for Total Permethrin on this page come from the following public authorities:
About This Report
This water quality report is compiled from public records filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state health departments, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Contaminant levels are evaluated against EPA federal standards and health-based guidelines from leading environmental and public health organizations. CheckYourTap is a service of Valiant Energy Solutions, a Connecticut water quality and energy services company established in 1930.
This report is general information, not medical advice or a substitute for certified laboratory testing. Talk to your pediatrician or physician about specific health concerns.
Reviewed by the CheckYourTap editorial team. Last updated July 2026