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Water for VOC

Application Overview

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include a wide range of carbon-based molecules that easily evaporate at room temperature. These compounds are usually man-made chemicals, and are used in manufacturing many products. Many commonly used household products contain VOCs (cleaning products, paints, glues, cosmetics, home furnishings, photocopiers, etc.), which can be readily released into the air. In addition, VOCs may be released by factories, gas stations and landfills. They are also naturally emitted by a number of plants and trees.

Some common volatile organic compounds are: acetone, benzene, formaldehyde, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE, a fuel oxygenate), toluene, xylene, chloroform, trichloroethylene. These compounds may be present in the air, the water and the soil.

There are some concerns about the health effects of VOCs. Depending on the nature of the compound, the level and length of exposure, some VOCs may be carcinogenic or can damage the respiratory and central nervous systems, the liver or the kidneys. In the atmosphere, some VOCs react with airborne pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and generate ozone in the presence of sunlight. Ozone is a respiratory irritant and contributes to the formation of smog.

In order to address these concerns, many countries have initiated efforts to significantly reduce discharge and emission of VOCs in the environment. VOCs are routinely analyzed in water, soil, soil gas and air. These analyses are usually performed using gas chromatography (GC), often coupled with mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS).

Specifications for VOC in drinking water have been established by regulatory agencies in various countries. The list in the table below shows the MAC (Maximum Allowable Concentration) for various VOCs established in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, as well as by the WHO (World Health Organization).

	Maximum Allowable Concentration in potable tap water (ppb or µg/L)
VOC	US	EU	Japan	China	WHO
Benzene	5	1	10	10	10
Bromodichloromethane		100 (*)	30	30	60
Bromoform			100 (**)	100	100
Carbon Tetrachloride	5	0,1	20	2	4
Chlorobenzene	100			300
Chloroform			60	60	200
Dibromochloromethane		100 (*)	100	100	100
1,2-Dichlorobenzene	600			1000	1000
1,4-Dichlorobenzene	75			300	300
1,2-Dichloroethane	5	3		30	30
1,1-Dichloroethene	7		20	30	30
CIS-1,2-Dichloroethene	70		20	50
Trans-1,2-Dichloroethene	100		40	50
1,2-Dichloropropane	5				40
CIS-1,3-Dichloropropene					20
Trans-1,3-Dichloropropene					20
Ethylbenzene	700			300	300
Tetrachloroethylene	5	10	10		40
Toluene					700
1,1,1-Trichloroethane	200
1,1,2-Trichloroethane	5
Trichloroethylene	5	10	30	70
O-Xylene	10000		400 (***)	500 (***)
M-Xylene	10000		400 (***)	500 (***)
P-Xylene	10000		400 (***)	500 (***)
() EU - Sum of trihalomethanes < 100 µg/L () Japan - Sum of trihalomethanes (chloroform, dibromochloromethane, bromodichloromethane, bromoform) < 100 µg/L (**) Sum of xylenes < limit in µg/L Sources: US: EPA - National Primary Drinking Water Standards EU: COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 98/83/ECof 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption Japan: Revision of drinking Water Quality Standards in Japan China: Drinking Water Standards and Monitoring, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre WHO: Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality -THIRD EDITION -Volume 1 Recommendations (2004) Note: the data reported in this table is for information only and does not include all chemical substances reported in all norms – It is the responsibility of the user to verify the actual recommendations from the appropriate instances.

More Information

Indoor air quality - VOC: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
VOC in ground water: http://toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/vocs.html
Health effects of VOC: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/vol_con.htm
EU Council Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/index_en.html
U.S. National Primary Drinking Water Standards: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html
WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. 2004: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3/en/index.html

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Water for VOC

Application Overview

Maximum Allowable Concentration in potable tap water (ppb or µg/L)

(*) EU - Sum of trihalomethanes < 100 µg/L

(**) Japan - Sum of trihalomethanes (chloroform, dibromochloromethane, bromodichloromethane, bromoform) < 100 µg/L

(***) Sum of xylenes < limit in µg/L

Sources:

US: EPA - National Primary Drinking Water Standards

EU: COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 98/83/ECof 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption

Japan: Revision of drinking Water Quality Standards in Japan

China: Drinking Water Standards and Monitoring, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

WHO: Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality -THIRD EDITION -Volume 1 Recommendations (2004)

Note: the data reported in this table is for information only and does not include all chemical substances reported in all norms – It is the responsibility of the user to verify the actual recommendations from the appropriate instances.

More Information

Feel free to express your comments

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