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Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Fluoride | 4.0 | 4.0 | Skeletal and dental fluorosis | Natural deposits; fertilizer, aluminum industries; water additive |
Volatile Organics | ||||
Benzene | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Some foods; gas, drugs, pesticides, paint, plastic industries |
Carbon Tetrachloride | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Solvents and their degradation products |
p-Dichlorobenzene | 0.075 | 0.075 | Cancer | Room and water deodorants, and "mothballs" |
1,2-Dichloroethane | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Leaded gasoline, fumigants, paints |
1,1-Dichloroethylene | 0.007 | 0.007 | Cancer | Plastics, dyes, perfumes, paints |
Trichloroethylene | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Textiles, adhesives and metal degreasers |
1,1,1-Trichloroethane | 0.2 | 0.2 | Liver, Nervous system effects | Adhesives, aerosols, textiles, paints, inks, metal degreasers |
Vinyl Chloride | zero | 0.002 | Cancer | May leach from PVC pipe; formed by solvent breakdown |
Coliform and Surface Water Treatment | ||||
Giardia Lamblia | zero | TT | Gastroenteric disease | Human and animal fecal waste |
Legionella | zero | TT | Legionnaire's disease | Indigenous to natural waters; can grow in water heating systems |
Standard Plate Count | N/A | TT | Indicates water quality, effectiveness of treatment | |
Total Coliform* | zero | <5%+ | Indicates gastroenteric pathogens | Human and animal fecal waste |
Turbidity* | N/A | TT | Interferes with disinfection, filtration | Soil runoff |
Viruses | zero | TT | Gastroenteric disease | Human and animal fecal waste |
Notes: TT=Special treatment techniques required
*Contaminants with interim standards which have been revised. +=less than 5% positive samples |
Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Inorganics | ||||
Antimony | 0.006 | 0.006 | Cancer | Fire retardants, ceramics, electronics, fireworks, solder |
Asbestos (>10m) | 7MFL | 7MFL | Cancer | Natural deposits; asbestos cement in water systems |
Barium* | 2 | 2 | Circulatory system effects | Natural deposits, pigments, epoxy sealants, spent coal |
Beryllium | 0.004 | 0.004 | Bone, lung damage | Electrical, aerospace, defense industries |
Cadmium* | 0.005 | 0.005 | Kidney effects | Galvanized pipe corrosion; natural deposits; batteries, paints |
Chromium* (total) | 0.1 | 0.1 | Liver, kidney, circulatory disorders | Natural deposits; mining, electroplating, pigments |
Cyanide | 0.2 | 0.2 | Thyroid, nervous system damage | Electroplating, steel, plastics, mining, fertilizer |
Mercury* (inorganic) | 0.002 | 0.002 | Kidney, nervous system disorders | Crop runoff; natural deposits; batteries, electrical switches |
Nitrate* | 10 | 10 | Methemoglobinemia | Animal waste, fertilizer, natural deposits, septic tanks, sewage |
Nitrite | 1 | 1 | Methemoglobinemia | Same as nitrate; rapidly converted to nitrate |
Selenium* | 0.05 | 0.05 | Liver damage | Natural deposits; mining, smelting, coal/oil combustion |
Thallium | 0.0005 | 0.002 | Kidney, liver, brain, intestinal | Electronics, drugs, alloys, glass |
Notes: *Contaminants with interim standards which have been revised.
MFL=million fibers per liter. |
Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Organics (1of 4) | ||||
Acrylamide | zero | TT | Cancer, nervous system effects | Polymers used in sewage/wastewater treatment |
Adipate,
(di (2-ehtylhexyl) |
0.4 | 0.4 | Decreased body weight | Synthetic rubber, food packaging, cosmetics |
Alachlor | zero | 0.002 | Cancer | Runoff from herbicide on corn, soybeans, other crops |
Atrazine | 0.003 | 0.003 | Mammary gland tumors | Runoff from use as herbicide on corn and non-cropland |
Carbofuran | 0.04 | 0.04 | Nervous, reproductive system effects | Soil fumigant on corn and cotton; restricted in some areas |
Chlordane* | zero | 0.002 | Cancer | Leaching from soil treatment for termites |
Chlorobenzene | 0.1 | 0.1 | Nervous system and liver effects | Waste solvent from metal degreasing processes |
Dalapon | 0.2 | 0.2 | Liver and kidney effects | Herbicide on orchards, beans, coffee, lawns, road/railways |
Dibromo chloropropene | zero | 0.0002 | Cancer | Soil fumigant on soybeans, cotton, pineapple, orchards |
o-Dichlorobenzene | 0.6 | 0.6 | Liver, kidney, blood cell damage | Paints, engine cleaning compounds, dyes, chemical wastes |
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene | 0.07 | 0.07 | Liver, kidney, nervous, circulatory | Waste industrial extraction solvents |
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene | 0.1 | 0.1 | Liver, kidney, nervous, circulatory | Waste industrial extraction solvents |
Dichloromethane | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Paint stripper, metal degreaser, propellant, extraction |
1,2-Dichloropropane | zero | 0.005 | Liver, kidney effects; cancer | Soil fumigant; waste industrial solvents |
Notes: *Contaminants with interim standards which have been revised. |
Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Organics (2 of 4) | ||||
Dinoseb | 0.007 | 0.007 | Thyroid, reproductive organ damage | Runoff of herbicide from crop and non-crop applications |
Dioxin | zero | 0.00000003 | Cancer | Chemical production by-product; impurity in herbicides |
Diquat | 0.02 | 0.02 | Liver, kidney, eye effects | Runoff of herbicide on land and aquatic weeds |
2,4-D* | 0.07 | 0.07 | Liver and kidney damage | Runoff from herbicide on wheat, corn, rangelands, lawns |
Endothall | 0.1 | 0.1 | Liver, kidney, gastrointestinal | Herbicide on crops, land/aquatic weeds; rapidly degraded |
Endrin | 0.002 | 0.002 | Liver, kidney, heart damage | Pesticide on insects, rodents, birds; restricted since 1980 |
Epichlorohydrin | zero | TT | Cancer | Water treatment chemicals; waste epoxy resins, coatings |
Ethylbenzene | 0.7 | 0.7 | Liver, kidney, nervous system | Gasoline; insecticides; chemical manufacturing wastes |
Ethylene dibromide | zero | 0.00005 | Cancer | Leaded gasoline additives; leaching of soil fumigant |
Glyphosate | 0.7 | 0.7 | Liver, kidney damage | Herbicide on grasses, weeds, brush |
Heptachlor | zero | 0.0004 | Cancer | Leaching of insecticide for termites, very few crops |
Heptachlor epoxide | zero | 0.0002 | Cancer | Biodegradation of heptachlor |
Notes: *Contaminants with interim standards which have been revised.
TT=Special treatment techniques required |
Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Organics (3 of 4) | ||||
Hexachlorobenzene | zero | 0.001 | Cancer | Pesticide production waste by-product |
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene | 0.05 | 0.05 | Kidney, stomach damage | Pesticide production intermediate |
Lindane | 0.0002 | 0.0002 | Liver, kidney, nervous, immune, circulatory | Insecticide on cattle, lumber, gardens; restricted in 1983 |
Methoxychlor | 0.04 | 0.04 | Growth, liver, kidney, nerve effects | Insecticide for fruits, vegetables, alfalfa, livestock, pets |
Oxamyl (Vydate) | 0.2 | 0.2 | Kidney damage | Insecticide on apples, potatoes, tomatoes |
PAHs (benzo(a)pyrene) | zero | 0.0002 | Cancer | Coal tar coatings; burning organic matter; volcanoes, fossil fuels |
PCBs | zero | 0.0005 | Cancer | Coolant oils from electrical transformers; plasticizers |
Pentachlorophenol | zero | 0.001 | Liver and kidney effects, and cancer | Wood preservatives, herbicide, cooling tower wastes |
Phthalate,
(di (2-ethylhexyl)) |
zero | 0.006 | Cancer | PVC and other plastics |
Picloram | 0.5 | 0.5 | Kidney, liver damage | Herbicide on broadleaf and woody plants |
Simazine | 0.004 | 0.004 | Cancer | Herbicide on grass sod, some crops, aquatic algae |
Styrene | 0.1 | 0.1 | Liver, nervous system damage | Plastics, rubber, resin, drug industries; leachate from city landfills |
Tetrachloroethylene | zero | 0.005 | Cancer | Improper disposal of dry cleaning and other solvents |
Toluene | 1 | 1 | Liver, kidney, nervous, circulatory | Gasoline additive; manufacturing and solvent operations |
Contaminants |
MCLG (mg/L) |
MCL (mg/L) |
Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water | Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water |
Organics (4 of 4) | ||||
Toxaphene | zero | 0.003 | Cancer | Insecticide on cattle, cotton, soybeans; canceled in 1982 |
2,4,5-TP | 0.05 | 0.05 | Liver and kidney damage | Herbicide on crops, right-of-way, golf courses; canceled in 1983 |
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene | 0.07 | 0.07 | Liver, kidney damage | Herbicide production, dye carrier |
1,1,2-Trichloroethane | 0.003 | 0.005 | Kidney, liver, nervous system | Solvent in rubber, other organic products; chemical production wastes |
Xylenes (total) | 10 | 10 | Liver, kidney, nervous system | By-product of gasoline refining; paints, inks, detergents |
Lead and Copper | ||||
Lead* | zero | TT+ | Kidneys, nervous system damage | Natural/industrial deposits; plumbing, solder, brass alloy faucets |
Copper | 1.3 | TT# | Gastrointestinal irritation | Natural/industrial deposits; wood preservatives, plumbing |
Other Standards | ||||
Beta/photon emitters | zero | 4mrem/yr | Cancer | Decay of radionuclides in natural and man-made deposits |
Alpha emitters | zero | 15pCi/L | Cancer | Decay of radionuclides in natural deposits |
Combined Radium 226/228 | zero | 5pCi/L | Bone cancer | Natural deposits |
Arsenic* | 0.010 | 0.010 | Skin, nervous system toxicity | Natural deposits; smelters, glass, electronics wastes; orchards |
Total Trihalomethanes | zero | 0.10 | Cancer | Drinking water chlorination by-products |
Notes: +=Action Level 0.015mg/L
#=Action Level 1.3 mg/L *Contaminants with interim standards which have been revised. pCi=picocuries |
Notes
1 Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The maximum level of a contaminant in drinking water at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health effect of persons would occur, and which allows for an adequate margin of safety. MCLGs are non-enforceable public health goals.
2 Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The maximum permissible level of a contaminant in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system. MCLs are enforceable standards. The margins of safety in MCLGs ensure that exceeding the MCL slightly does not pose a significant risk to public health.
3 Treatment Technique - An enforceable procedure or level of technical performance which public water systems must follow to ensure control of a contaminant.
4 Units are in milligrams per Liter (mg/L) unless otherwise noted.
5 MCLGs were not established before the 1986 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Therefore, there is no MCLG for this contaminant.
6 Lead and copper are regulated in a Treatment Technique which requires systems to take tap water samples at sites with lead pipes or copper pipes that have lead solder and/or are served by lead service lines. The action level, which triggers water systems into taking treatment steps if exceeded in more than 10% of tap water samples, for copper is 1.3 mg/L, and for lead is 0.015mg/L.
7 Each water system must certify, in writing, to the state (using third-party or manufacturer's certification) that when acrylamide and epichlorohydrin are used in drinking water systems, the combination (or product) of dose and monomer level does not exceed the levels specified, as follows:
-
Acrylamide = 0.05% dosed at 1 mg/L (or equivalent)
- Epichlorohydrin = 0.01% dosed at 20 mg/L (or equivalent)
8 The Surface Water Treatment Rule requires systems using surface water or ground water under the direct influence of surface water to (1) disinfect their water, and (2) filter their water to meet criteria for avoiding filtration so that the following contaminants are controlled at the following levels:
-
Giardia lamblia: 99.9% killed/inactivated
Viruses: 99.99% killed/inactivated
-
Legionella: No limit, but EPA believes that if Giardia and viruses are inactivated, Legionella will also be controlled.
-
Turbidity: At no time can turbidity (cloudiness of water) go above 5 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU); systems that filter must ensure that the turbidity go no higher than 1 NTU (0.5 NTU for conventional or direct filtration) in at least 95% of the daily samples for any two consecutive months.
- HPC: NO more than 500 bacterial colonies per milliliter.
9 No more than 5.0% samples total coliform-positive in a month. (For water systems that collect fewer than 40 routine samples per month, no more than one sample can be total coliform-positive). Every sample that has total coliforms must be analyzed for fecal coliforms. There cannot be any fecal coliforms.
10 Fecal coliform and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.
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