| Is
MTBE in your water? Only water testing can tell you. Typically,
dangerous levels of MTBE in your water cannot be detected
by your senses of taste, smell, or sight. Water testing can
detect it. And if it is found, we can help you find the appropriate
water filter to remove the MTBE in your water.
Over the last 50 years, an environmental crisis has spread
across the United States and into our drinking water supplies.
Contamination of our air, soil and water continues to spread
today in the form of:
• Leaking underground storage tanks leaking into drinking
water supplies
• Accidental chemical spills leaching into drinking
water supplies
• Active & abandoned garbage dumps leak contaminants
into drinking water
supplies
• Military bases and storage sites are contaminating
drinking water supplies
• Illegally dumped hazardous waste is known to contaminate
drinking water
The problem has gotten so bad that community drinking water
sources serving millions of people are at serious risk. According
to the EPA, "There are tens of thousands of abandoned
hazardous waste sites in our nation, and accidental releases
occur daily." In this piece, we will focus on one of
the most serious sources of water contamination: leaking underground
storage tanks.
The Hidden Threat
In the 1940s and 1950s, tens of thousands of gas stations
were constructed nationwide to meet the needs of the American
car owner. Underground steel storage tanks were installed
beneath these new stations, with average life spans around
30 to 50 years. Since the 1970s, corroding underground fuel
tanks--along with poor installation and improper operation--have
spawned widespread groundwater contamination by such hazardous
substances as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, kerosene,
jet fuel and other volatile chemicals.
Dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene,
xylenes, toluene and MTBE (or methyl tertiary butyl ether)
are seeping from hundreds of thousands of leaking underground
storage tanks every day. As a result, these toxins are showing
up in the drinking water supplies of millions of Americans.
The EPA reports that as of March 31, 2003, there have been
436,494 confirmed releases from underground fuel storage tanks
nationally. To check out your state’s status visit:
http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/states/statcon1.htm
Other Related Sources of Danger
Along with leaks from pipelines and aboveground storage tanks,
chemical pollution also occurs from leaks in hundreds of thousands
of unregulated private fuel tanks across the country.
Other sources include residential and farm fuel tanks, home
heating oil tanks, basement tanks, emergency spill and overfill
tanks, aboveground tanks, car accidents, tank truck spills,
improper fuel disposal, spills during refueling fill-ups,
motorized water craft, and storm water surface runoff.
Protect Yourself
As we’ve said before, there are many factors that impact
your water quality.
For those on city water, the methods and accuracy used to
test your water is critical, as is the condition of your town’s
pipe system. Remember, water companies do not test your home’s
actual water quality--most testing occurs at the actual water
source and during the treatment process.
If you are one of the millions of Americans on well water,
you need to remember that no one is monitoring the quality
of your water source and regular water testing is absolutely
critical!
The age and condition of the pipes in your home can greatly
impact the quality of your water as well. Further, test strips
and tablets may be fine for testing the water in a fish tank,
but only certified laboratory testing can provide the accuracy
needed to test your family’s water quality.
Along with other smaller municipal and private storage tanks,
many of the large commercial fuel tanks that lie buried beneath
gas stations, processing facilities and surplus storage sites
are corroding and leaking an assortment of toxic chemicals
into the environment.
MTBE
In 1992, the government passed an amendment to the Clean Air
Act that required the manufacturers of reformulated gasoline
to reduce air pollution. But since 1980, the oil industry
was aggressively promoting MTBE as its preferred gasoline
additive, even when it knew of the potential threat to water
supplies.
MTBE was strongly preferred over other options because it
was a cheap and effective way to deal with the federally mandated
emissions regulations. In 1999, MTBE production reached 200,000
barrels per day in the United States alone.
Unfortunately, MTBE posed a huge environmental risk, particularly
to our nation’s water sources. MTBE is colorless compound
that dissolves easily in water, and as a result when gasoline
leaks from old, corroding underground storage tanks, it spreads
rapidly and will contaminate any groundwater it reaches.
In instances of severe contamination, concentrations of MTBE
can result in harsh chemical odors and tastes in drinking
water. However, MTBE is also a carcinogenic compound and is
so toxic that it is measured in parts per billion. Recent
scientific studies have shown that exposure to MTBE causes
lymphomas, leukemia and cancer of the testes, liver, thyroid
and kidneys in laboratory animals.
Benzene
Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon produced by the burning
of coal, petroleum and other natural products. It is found
in gasoline and is used in the production of plastics, nylon,
pesticides, dyes, lacquers, varnishes, adhesives, detergents
and other common household items.
In the air it can attach to rain or snow and return back down
to the ground. Benzene breaks down more slowly in water and
soil, and can easily pass through the soil into underground
water sources.
Medical research has clear evidence that benzene causes cancer
and even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
has confirmed that benzene is a known human carcinogen. Studies
have shown that individuals have developed and died from leukemia
after exposure to benzene from less than five years to 30-plus
years.
Benzene exposure can also impact bone marrow and blood production
and can cause anemia. It can decrease the size of ovaries,
cause menstrual disorders, and impair fertility in women.
Central nervous system and immune system damage can also result
from benzene exposure.
Consuming food or water containing high levels of benzene
can cause vomiting, upset stomach, dizziness, drowsiness,
convulsions, rapid heart rate, unconsciousness and death.
The EPA limits concentrations of benzene in drinking water
to 5 ppb (parts per billion) with an ultimate goal of 0 ppb.
It would take only one ounce of benzene to contaminate over
1.6 million gallons of drinking water!
The EPA estimated that 50 percent of the U.S. population has
been exposed to benzene by industrial sources, including leaking
underground storage tanks, oil refineries and chemical plants.
Protect Yourself
Toxic gasoline byproducts like MTBE and benzene are so lethal
that they are measured in parts per billion. Harmful traces
that exceed EPA safety levels are undetectable by sight, smell
and taste.
Only certified laboratory testing on sophisticated laboratory
equipment can determine if your water is free from these dangerous
contaminants.
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