Contamination of Drinking Water Occurs When:
Underground and above ground fuel storage tanks and pipelines leak, spills during refueling, automobile accidents damage the fuel tank, consumer disposal of "old" gasoline", emissions from older marine engines, and to a lesser degree, storm water runoff, and precipitation mixed with MTBE in the air
Get Your Water Tested Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791)
Or go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/sco.html to get the phone number for the office in your state that certifies drinking water laboratories.
The USGS's Report on Volatile Organic Compounds in the Nation’s Ground Water and Drinking-Water Supply Wells Found:
Some VOCs were detected more frequently than others. Although 42 VOCs were detected in aquifer samples, only 15 occurred in about 1 percent or more of the samples. The most frequently detected VOCs include 7 solvents, 4 THMs, 2 refrigerants, 1 gasoline oxygenate, and 1 gasoline hydrocarbon. The THM chloroform was the most frequently detected compound, and its source is attributed, in part, to the recycling of chlorinated waters to aquifers. The solvent perchloro-ethene (PCE) and the gasoline oxygenate MTBE were the second and third most frequently detected compounds, respectively.
MTBE Dissolves More Easily in Water
Allowing Absorption
The chemicals in gasoline will dissolve in water when gasoline, as a separate phase, contacts water, some dissolve more than others. Gasoline components are soluble in water; however, most do not dissolve appreciably in water. Though these concentrations are not elevated, it is not healthy to drink such contaminated water even at these lower concentrations. Even when it may not be unhealthy to drink such low levels of contamination in the water, the water still would not be palatable. The odor and taste of water contaminated by dissolution of gasoline, even at low concentrations, would make it undrinkable. Many of these contaminants when dissolved in water, at the fairly low parts per billion range, would make many people gag if they attempted to drink it. A part per billion is one pound of any particular chemical in a billion pounds of water.
In addition, the water with the MTBE in solution is then evaporated in the sunlight transferring the MTBE to the clouds then raining back to earth beginning the cycle again.
It is possible your water would taste and/or smell like turpentine if MTBE is present at levels around or above 20-40 ppb
Gasoline is Made Up of 100's of Chemicals
Many additives are added to the basic mix of gasoline. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is just one of these additives and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) is another. Benzene is just one of the hundreds of chemicals present in the refined gasoline product prior to the addition of additives.
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