Report on VOCs in the Nation's Ground Water and Drinking-water Supply Wells
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a report describing the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water and drinking-water supply wells across the nation. The report concludes that VOCs were detected in aquifers across the nation and not limited to just a few specific aquifers or regions.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a report describing the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water and drinking-water supply wells across the nation. Volatile organic compounds are produced in large volumes and are associated with a myriad of products, such as plastics, adhesives, paints, gasoline, fumigants, refrigerants and dry-cleaning fluids. The report concludes that VOCs were detected in aquifers across the nation and not limited to just a few specific aquifers or regions. Despite the nationwide occurrence, VOCs were not detected in most of the sampled wells (about 80 percent had no detections above a threshold of 0.2 part per billion). The contaminants were detected in some domestic and public-supply wells, but seldom at concentrations greater than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory or USGS health-based guidelines.
Dr. Robert Hirsch, Associate Director for Water, says, "VOCs are an important group of environmental contaminants to monitor and manage in ground water because of their widespread and long-term use. Once released, VOCs tend to persist in the environment and migrate in ground water, potentially to drinking-water supply wells. Some VOCs are of concern because of their potential carcinogenicity or other health effects, and because they can change the taste and odor of drinking water."