How do I learn more about the potential health effects associated with VOCs?
The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) team has compiled a table that summarizes health effects of VOCs. The compilation provides existing cancer classifications of many VOCs and summarizes the most recent VOC health-effects information published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Data are available for 42 of the 55 VOCs emphasized in Circular 1292. USEPA’s Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water has developed technical fact sheets on VOCs. For regulated VOCs (those with Maximum Contaminant Levels), USEPA summarizes the potential health effects from ingestion of water at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html. For most regulated compounds, this Web site links to consumer fact sheets that include information on why the compound is regulated, health effects information, how much of the chemical is produced, and what happens when the chemical is released into the enviro
