Debunking Common Myths About VOCs in Drinking Water
- Published:
- Updated: December 31, 2024
Summary
Health Risks and Protection Measures:
- Short-term effects: Nausea, headache, irritation. Long-term risks include organ damage and cancer.
- Protect with regular testing, certified filtration systems, proper storage, and avoidance of chemical contaminants.
- Maintain water source well-being and stay informed about local regulations and potential contamination sources.
Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are group of compounds with high room-temperature vapor pressure and can evaporate or sublimate from their solid or liquid states into the atmosphere. Because they’re in so many everyday products, such as paint, cleaning supplies and pesticides, it’s become a source of rising concern. But they have also led to all manner of misconceptions.
This is the main myth that VOCs are chemical products of man. Though many are produced for industrial and household use, there can be naturally occurring VOCs too. They are excreted from some plants, forest fires or even volcanoes.
All VOCs are Harmful
There’s a common idea that VOCs are all bad. It’s an unrestricted generalisation that is not really true. VOCs are a nebulous family of chemicals with very different properties and toxicity.
True, there are VOCs such as benzene or perchloroethylene that are considered hazardous and have health effects. But others, such as limonene – an organic acid found in citrus – are safe, even healing. What makes a VOC harmful is its type and its concentration.
Boiling Water Eliminates VOCs
Boiling water is a known saviour in the VOC riddance battle, but its efficacy is a matter of controversy. The truth is boiling can sometimes remedy it but it’s not a panacea.
The majority of VOCs are a bit lower than water in boiling point so they can evaporate prior to boiling water. So boiling might remove some VOCs but it might add more to other, higher boiling point ones. Don’t forget: boiling water doesn’t purge non-volatile substances that could be dangerous.
Bottled Water is VOC-Free
The myth that bottled water is intrinsically zero-VOC is rampant. The water that comes in bottles gets purified quite a bit, but it’s also not guaranteed to be free of VOCs.
Manufacturers treat water to get rid of impurities such as VOCs but they’re not always effective, and the contaminants can be tiny quantities. Not to mention that VOCs could also leak into the water after treatment and when it is bottled. So, the omnipresent notion that all bottled water is 100% VOC-free can be a red herring.
If You Can't Smell or Taste It, It's Safe
It Is Safe To Eat, If You Don’t Want to Smell It or Taste It.
The smell or flavor of toxic chemicals in your water is often what people think it means when there are nasty substances in your water. But many VOCs are smellless and tasteless, so that they’re invisible to the senses.
Chemicals such as tetrachloroethylene (used in dry-cleaning) or vinyl chloride (in plastics) pollute water without changing its odour or taste. And so if your water is not changing, you won’t be in any danger, because it isn’t.
All Water Filters Remove VOCs
Water filters are another area of misunderstanding — and it has to do with removing VOCs. All filters are not VOCs-removing and even filters that are can’t filter every type of VOC.
Activated carbon filters typically catch most VOCs. Other times, normal particulate filters or RO systems aren’t as effective on certain VOCs. Here is the point, learn and learn what your water filter is able to do and can’t.
Government Regulations Always Ensure Safe Levels of VOCs in Tap Water
Government organizations across the world make an effort to promote clean water, but they aren’t perfect and can’t always guarantee there are no VOCs in tap water. These regulatory authorities set standards for acceptable VOC levels but monitoring, compliance and enforcement issues do arise.
And standards can vary quite a bit from one place to another. What is safe in one country might not be what’s prescribed in another. Thus, these standards are a rough guide and will not ensure the 100% safety of tap water in every instance.
What are some common health risks and protection measures to consider?
People can get health risks from drinking water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals that readily evaporate and escape into the atmosphere, so they are volatile. These are some of the health risks of VOCs in drinking water:
Contracted health consequences: Contracted health consequences of short-term exposure to high levels of VOCs in drinking water include nausea, headache, dizziness, eye, nose and throat irritation, and even organ damage.
Long-term health effects: Chronic VOC exposure to drinking water with low levels has been linked to health problems. Some VOCs are carcinogens, associated with increased incidence of some cancers, such as bladder cancer, kidney cancer and leukemia. Other long-term ill effects include liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.
Individuals can do the following everyday things to protect water resources and avoid potential health effects from VOC exposure:
Consistent testing: Test drinking water often for VOCs with home water test kits or professional testing services. It can be used to trace VOCs and their levels, so appropriate remediation can be done.
Filter using approved systems: Install and use water filtration that is approved to remove VOCs. Check for filters that say they’re VOC-removal, and that they pass the industry standards for filtration efficiency.
Storage: Drink water in glass or stainless-steel bottles instead of plastic bottles. There are VOCs that can escape from plastic bags and enter the water if it’s heated or in the sun.
Chemicals are toxic: Avoid chemical-laden household and personal care products as much as possible. Use non-toxic alternatives that are not based on toxic chemicals. Dump unused chemicals properly and do not pour them down the drain.
Water sources: Maintain wells regularly if you’re drawing from a well and monitor and respond to any potential contamination. Dispose of your waste properly so chemicals and contaminants do not seep into groundwater.
Be up to date: Stay abreast of local and federal drinking water quality laws. Know if there is an area that could contain VOCs, such as an industrial site or subsurface tanks, and take preventive action.
Remember that there are different steps that people can take, depending on where you live, where you drink your water, and where you’re likely to have VOCs. Consultation with your local water agency or specialists can provide more specific advice for protecting water sources from VOCs.
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