How many different kinds of VOCs were detected in ground water?
Forty-two of the 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analyzed for in the assessment were detected in one or more samples at a concentration of 0.2 microgram per liter (μg/L) or greater. The 55 VOCs were assigned to one of seven groups on the basis of their primary usage (or origin): (1) fumigants; (2) gasoline hydrocarbons, (3) gasoline oxygenates, (4) organic synthesis compounds, (5) refrigerants, (6) solvents, and (7) trihalomethanes (THMs), which are chlorination by-products. At least one VOC in each of the seven groups was detected in one or more samples. Solvents, THMs, gasoline hydrocarbons, and less frequently, refrigerants had a widespread distribution throughout the United States. Fumigants, gasoline oxygenates, and organic synthesis compounds were not as widely detected across the Nation.
