Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Of the many contaminants that can be present in water, the one over which man has the most control is ironically the one that man has most commonly caused. Some of the most concerning Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), are listed below: 

Pharmaceuticals

In a recent study by the Associate Press, an astonishing amount of pharmaceuticals, everything from sex hormones to anti-seizure medications, were found in the drinking supply of over 41 million Americans. Finding their way into municipal water systems through urine and feces, there unabsorbed drugs are in such small amounts that they can only be measured by parts per billion, or even parts per trillion. However, the real issue is that no one knows the chronic effects of long-term, low-level exposure to combinations of these drugs. In a 1995 Science Advisory Report to the EPA‚ it was stated that "when two or more of these contaminants combine in our water, the potency may be increased by as much as 1000 times." In fact, some experts believe that these residual pharmaceuticals might even pose more of a threat to human health than waterborne contaminants such as pesticides.¹

Fluoride

Over 50 years ago, many in the medical community believed that adding Fluoride into the water supply would prevent tooth decay. Most dentists at the time believed, however, that in order to do any good, Fluoride had to be actually ingested to work! Since then, over 50 years of research has discovered not only that Fluoride in drinking water does not assist in the prevention of tooth decay, but that it has been linked to a long list of health problems and disease, including²:

1. Immune System Alteration
2. Musculoskeletal Harm
3. Genetic Damage
4. Cancer
5. Thyroid Dysfunction

Fluoride is an enzyme inhibitor, meaning that it affects practically every cell in the human body. Furthermore, the human body can only eliminate half of the fluoride it ingests, so the older one gets, the more that Fluoride builds up in the body. This is an example of the chronic, long-term exposure effect of VOCs.

Chlorine

Another chemical that was historically added to water as a disease prevention method is Chlorine. This was the reaction to the 19th Century fear of water borne illnesses such as Cholera and Typhoid Fever. As with many good intentions, however, historical evidence since then has shown that human consumption of Chlorine too has long-term health implications. In fact, the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality indicates that cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine. Chlorine has also been shown to harden arteries, destroy proteins in the body, and aggravate allergies and asthma. But its not only the direct affects of Chlorine that causes concern. Byproducts of Chlorine, such as Chloramine have been shown to increase the effects of aging.

Avoiding the consumption of chlorinated drinking water does not protect from its harmful effects. In fact, according to research presented in Anaheim California, at a meeting of the American Chemical Society-- Taking long hot showers, and to a lesser extent baths, is a health risk that could lead to a greater exposure to toxic chemicals contained in water supplies than does drinking the water. The chemicals evaporate out of the water and are inhaled. They can also spread through the house and be inhaled by others. Householders can receive 6 to 100 times more of the chemical by breathing the air around showers and bath than they would by drinking the water.³

Chlorine and THMs

Often times it is not the direct exposure to VOCs that can cause health hazards, but rather a combination of several contaminants. Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) are volatile organic contaminants often referred to as disinfection by-products, or DBPs. TTHMs are chemicals that result when Chlorine used to disinfect drinking water interacts with organic matter in the water. High concentrations of TTHMs have been associated with varying degrees of birth defects and are believed to cause cancer. Numerous studies have shown that although drinking water is a major exposure route for TTHMs, showering and bathing are important routes through inhalation and dermal absorption.

THM compounds formed during the disinfection process are carcinogenic and mutagenic and positive correlations have been observed between the concentrations of these compounds in drinking water and bladder cancer.⁴ Positive correlations also were observed for brain cancer in both males and females and for lymphoma and kidney cancer in males.

¹ REAL Health Breakthroughs - Don't Drink the Water, William Campbell Douglas II, M.D.

² Ibid.

³ NEW SCIENTIST 18 September 1986, Ian Anderson

⁴ Ronald E. Rathbun, Potentially Deleterious Effects of Chlorinating Mississipi River Water for Drinking Purposes, US. Geological Survey Circular, 1995.