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Results from two national surveys indicate that the gasolineoxygenate methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is oneof the most frequently detected volatile organic compoundsin source waters used by community water systems in theUnited States. Three other ether oxygenates were detectedinfrequently but almost always co-occurredwith MTBE.A random sampling of source waters across the UnitedStates found MTBE in almost 9% of samples. In geographicareas with high MTBE use, the compound was detected in 23%of source water samples.Although MTBE concentrations were low (1 g/L) in mostsamples, some concentrations equaled or exceeded the drinkingwater advisory of 20 g/L set by the US Environmental ProtectionAgency. The frequent detection of even low concentrations ofMTBE demonstrates the vulnerability of US source waters toanthropogenic compounds, indicating a need to include MTBE inmonitoring programs to track the trend of contamination. Includes 35 references, tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. 98 - No. 4 Published: 04/01/2006 Number of Pages: 14File Size: 1 file , 810 KB