Total exposure and risk assessment for drinking water contaminated with volatile organic compounds. Final report
A total-exposure and cancer-risk assessment was conducted on nine volatile organic compounds (VOCs) frequently found in contaminated drinking water. Routes of exposure considered in the analysis included ingestion, inhalation, and dermal uptake. A total of ten exposure scenarios were constructed, reflecting minimum and maximum likelihood exposures. The total exposure scenarios developed for VOCs, the most extensive reported to date, clearly supports the need to consider non-ingestion exposure routes in the development of drinking water standards for VOCs. Recent maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) developed by USEPA for six of the VOCs evaluated in the study appear not to have been derived considering the non-ingestion exposure routes. Moreover, as the new MCLs result in cancer risks of 10 to the minus 6 power to 10 to the minus 3 power, using the exposure relationships developed in the study, they may be insufficiently protective of public health. As inhalation and possibly dermal exposure routes may be more significant than the ingestion route, regulatory agencies should determine the risks before permitting drinking waters, significantly contaminated with VOCs, to be used for bathing or cooking for long time periods prior to obtaining an alternative water supply or implementing other corrective measures.
- Research Organization:
- Illinois Univ., Chicago (USA). School of Public Health
- OSTI ID:
- 5382407
- Report Number(s):
- PB-88-160502/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
550900 -- Pathology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
DISEASES
DOCUMENT TYPES
DRINKING WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MATERIALS
MATTER
NEOPLASMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PROGRESS REPORT
RISK ASSESSMENT
VOLATILE MATTER
WATER
WATER POLLUTION