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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are widely used
in the manufacture of many products including
refrigerants, plastics, adhesives, paints, and petroleum
products, have been detected in about one-third of the
wells sampled by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).1
Chloroform and other trihalomethanes, the most commonly
detected compounds, were found in about 9 percent of the
sampled wells. Solvents, particularly chlorinated
solvents, were found in about 8 percent of sampled wells.
VOCs predominantly occur in urban areas, often in
mixtures; specifically, 2 or more compounds were found in
about one quarter of the sampled urban wells.
A
commonly detected VOC is methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE),
which is a gasoline oxygenate designed to add oxygen to
decrease vehicular carbon monoxide emissions and ozone
levels in the atmosphere. MTBE has the highest production
volume of all fuel oxygenates.
Trihalomethanes, solvents, and gasoline oxygenates are the
most commonly detected volatile organic compounds in
ambient ground water. |
