chemical synthesis, refractory production, and textile manufacturing facilities; erosion of natural deposits. Lead (ppb) AL = 0.015 1000 AL = 15 0.2 Internal corrosion of household water plumbing systems; discharges from industrial manufacturers; erosion of natural deposits Infants and children who water containing lead in excess of the action level may experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children may show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years may develop kidney problems or high blood pressure. Mercury [inorganic] (ppb) 0.002 1000 2 1.2 Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from refineries and factories; runoff from landfills and cropland Some people who drink water containing mercury in excess of the MCL over many years may experience mental disturbances, or impaired physical coordination, speech and hearing. Nickel (ppb) 0.1 1000 100 12 Erosion of natural deposits; discharge from metal factories Some people who drink water containing nickel in excess of the MCL over many years may experience liver and heart effects. Nitrate (ppm) 10 (as N) - 10 (as N) 10 (as N) Runoff and leaching from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks and sewage; erosion of natural deposits Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL may quickly become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die because high nitrate levels can interfere with the capacity of the infant’s blood to carry oxygen. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin. High nitrate levels may also affect the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood of pregnant women.
Nitrite (ppm) 1 (as N) - 1 (as N) 1 (as N) Runoff and leaching from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks and sewage; erosion of natural deposits Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrite in excess of the MCL may quickly become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin. Perchlorate (ppb) 0.006 1000 6 1 Perchlorate is an inorganic chemical used in solid rocket propellant, fireworks, explosives, flares, matches, and a variety of industries. It usually gets into drinking water as a result of environmental contamination from historic aerospace or other industrial operations that used or use, store, or dispose of perchlorate and its salts. Perchlorate has been shown to interfere with uptake of iodide by the thyroid gland, and to thereby reduce the production of thyroid hormones, leading to adverse effects associated with inadequate hormone levels. Thyroid hormones are needed for normal prenatal growth and development of the fetus, as well as for normal growth and development in the infant and child. In adults, thyroid hormones are needed for normal metabolism and mental function. Selenium (ppb) 0.05 1000 50 30 Discharge from petroleum, glass, and metal refineries; erosion of natural deposits; discharge from mines and chemical manufacturers; Selenium is an essential nutrient. However, some people who water containing selenium in excess of the MCL over many years may experience hair or fingernail losses, numbness in fingers or toes, or circulation system problems.
runoff from livestock lots (feed additive) Thallium (ppb) 0.002 1000 2 0.1 Leaching from sites; discharge from electronics, glass, and drug factories Some people who drink water containing thallium in excess of the MCL over many years may experience hair loss, changes in their blood, or kidney, intestinal, or liver problems. Synthetic Organic Contaminants including Pesticides and Herbicides 2,4-D (ppb) 0.07 1000 70 20 Runoff from herbicide used on row crops, range land, lawns, and aquatic weeds Some people who use water containing the weed killer in excess of the MCL over many years may experience kidney, liver, or adrenal gland problems. 2,4,5-TP [Silvex] (ppb) 0.05 1000 50 3 Residue of banned herbicide Some people who drink water containing Silvex in excess of the MCL over many years may experience liver problems. Acrylamide TT - TT (0) Added to water during sewage/wastewater treatment Some people who drink water containing high levels of acrylamide over a long period of time may experience nervous system or blood problems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Alachlor (ppb) 0.002 1000 2 4 Runoff from herbicide used on row crops Some people who use containing alachlor in excess of the MCL over many years may experience eye, liver, kidney, or spleen problems, or experience anemia, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Atrazine (ppb) 0.001 1000 1 0.15 Runoff from herbicide used on row crops and along railroad and highway Some people who use water containing atrazine in excess of the MCL over many years may experience cardiovascular system problems or reproductive difficulties. Bentazon (ppb) 0.018 1000 18 200 Runoff/leaching from herbicide used on beans, peppers, Some people who drink water containing bentazon in excess of the MCL over many years may experience prostate and gastrointestinal effects.
Trichlorofluoromethane (ppb) 0.15 1000 150 1300 Discharge from industrial factories; degreasing solvent; propellant and refrigerant Some people who use water containing trichlorofluoromethane in excess of the MCL over many years may experience liver problems. (ppm) 1.2 - 1.2 4 Discharge from metal degreasing sites and other factories; drycleaning solvent; refrigerant Some people who use containing in excess of the MCL over many years may experience liver problems. Vinyl Chloride (ppt) 0.0005 1,000,000 500 50 Leaching from PVC piping; discharge from plastics factories; biodegradation byproduct of TCE and PCE groundwater contamination Some people who use water containing vinyl chloride in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Xylenes (ppm) 1.750 - 1.750 1.8 Discharge from petroleum and chemical factories; fuel solvent Some people who use water containing xylenes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience nervous system damage. Contaminant (CCR Traditional MCL or [MRDL] in mg/L To convert for CCR, multiply by MCL or [MRDL] in CCR units PHG, (MCLG) or [MRDLG] Major Sources in Drinking Water Health Effects Language Disinfection Byproducts, Disinfectant Residuals, and Disinfection Byproduct Precursors
Appendix A-4: Federal Regulated Contaminants with No MCLs Background The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act required the U.S. EPA to establish criteria for a monitoring program for unregulated contaminants and to publish a list of contaminants to be monitored. UCMR 1 (2001 – 2003 Monitoring) In 1999, U.S. EPA revised the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule to incorporate a tiered monitoring approach. UCMR 1 had assessment monitoring (List 1) and screening survey (List 2) components. Assessment monitoring was conducted by large public water systems (PWS) serving more than 10,000 people and 800 representative small PWS serving 10,000 or fewer people for List 1 contaminants. Assessment monitoring was conducted by each PWS over a 12-month period between 2001 and 2003. Screening monitoring was conducted by a randomly selected set of 300 large and small PWSs for List 2 contaminants. Screening monitoring for chemical contaminants was conducted in 2001 and 2002 for small and large PWS, respectively. Screening monitoring for Aeromonas was conducted in 2003 for small and large PWS. UCMR 1 List 1 – Assessment Monitoring 2,4-dinitrotoluene 2,6-dinitrotoluene Acetochlor DCPA mono-acid degradate DCPA di-acid degradate 4,4’-DDE EPTC Molinate MTBE Nitrobenzene Perchlorate Terbacil List 2 – Screening Survey 1,2-diphenylhydrazine 2-methyl-phenol 2,4-dichlorophenol 2,4-dinitrophenol 2,4,6-trichlorophenol Aeromonas Alachlor ESA Diazinon Disulfoton Diuron Fonofos Linuron Nitrobenzene Prometon RDX Terbufos
serving 10,000 or people. Screening monitoring was required of each PWS during a period from January 2013 – December 2015. Pre-screen testing (List 3 Contaminants) was required of select 800 representative PWS serving 1,000 or fewer people that do not disinfect. These PWS with wells that were located in areas of karst or fractured bedrock monitored during a 12-month period from January 2013 – December 2015. UCMR 3 List 1 – Assessment Monitoring 1,2,3-trichloropropane 1,3-butadiene Chloromethane (methyl chloride) 1,2-dichloroethane Bromomethane (methyl bromide) Chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) Bromochloromethane (halon 1011) 1,4-dioxane Vanadium Molybdenum Cobalt Strontium Chromium (total) Chromium-6 Chlorate Perfluorooctanesulfonate acid (PFOS) Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) Perfluoroheptanoic acid Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) List 2 – Screening Survey 17-β-estradiol 17-α-ethynylestradiol (ethinyl estradiol) 16-α-hydroxyestradiol (estriol) Equilin Estrone Testosterone List 3 – Pre-Screen Testing Enteroviruses Noroviruses Reporting U.S. EPA is essentially silent on the of reporting federal UCMR contaminants beyond the previous calendar year’s detections, other than to say it is not required and that data older than 5 years need not be reported. As a result, the State Board recommends systems to report the data for 5 years.