Occurrence of Volatile Organic Compounds in Aquifers of the United States¹

Abstract

Samples of ambient ground water were collected during 1985-2002 from 3,498 wells in 98 aquifer studies throughout the United States. None of the sampled wells were selected because of prior knowledge of nearby contamination. Most of these samples were analyzed for 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to characterize their national occurrence. Volatile organic compounds were found in samples collected from 90 of the 98 aquifer studies. Occurrence frequencies of one or more VOCs for the 98 aquifer studies ranged from 0 to about 77% at an assessment level of 0.2 microgram per liter (lg ⁄ l). The aquifer studies with the largest occurrence frequencies were in southern Florida, southern New York, southern California, New Jersey, and Nevada. Trihalomethanes and solvents were the most frequently occurring VOC groups. Of the 55 VOCs included in this assessment, 42 occurred in at least one sample at an assessment level of 0.2 lg ⁄ l. Chloroform, perchloroethene, and methyl tert-butyl ether were the most frequently occurring VOCs. Many factors, such as the hydrogeology of the aquifer, use of VOCs, land use, and the transport and fate properties of VOCs, affect the occurrence of VOCs in ground water.(KEY TERMS: volatile organic compounds; aquifers; ground water; transport and fate; ground water management.)

The Atmosphere can be a Source of Certain Water Soluble Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban Streams

“…The water quality criteria and toxicity levels for VOCs are summarized in Rowe et al (1997). Although the concentrations of VOCs in small urban streams are typically well below human or aquatic health standards and guidelines (Bender et al, 2009), effects due to long-term exposure to concentrations below drinking water standards and to mixtures of VOCs are unknown (Carter et al, 2008). VOCs are released into the environment during their production, distribution, storage, handling, and use and can enter both surface water and groundwater supplies from many point and nonpoint sources (Lopes and Bender, 1998).…”

Simultaneous assessments of occurrence, ecological, human health, and organoleptic hazards for 77 VOCs in typical drinking water sources from 5 major river basins, China

“…Naphthalene is one of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which was commonly detected in China (Guo et al, 2012;Liu and Zhou, 2011;Ma et al, 2014), while seldom detected in the USA (Carter et al, 2008;Moran et al, 2004;Rowe et al, 2007). For many years, naphthalene had been considered as a non-carcinogenic PAH, but in 2000, the US National Toxicology Program revealed clear evidence of the carcinogenic activity of naphthalene in rats (Preuss et al, 2003).…”

An ion mobility spectrometer sensor system for subsurface use

“…In 2001, VOCs represented 20% of the chemicals with the largest total onsite and offsite releases to the environment. In a 98-aquifer study in the USA, 51% of the well water samples contained one or more VOCs (1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002), assessment level= 0.02 μg/L) [1]. In the same study, researchers found that mixtures of tetrachlorethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) occurred at the greatest number of sites.…”