Water Chemicals Are Contaminating Americas Water Supplies

What Are VOC’s?
VOC’s are some of the most difficult contaminants to remove from water supplies requiring Special and “Unique” Filter Cartridges to extract them from the tainted source.

Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) are carbon-containing compounds that evaporate from water into the air at normal air temperatures. Many VOCs are also water-soluble creating a bigger concern for groundwater contamination when diluted and trapped in a water source. Nationwide acceptance and production of VOC’s developed after WWII when the Petroleum/Plastics revolution spawned a new generation of manufactured goods for convenience and price point.

Examples of VOC’s are MTBE, Perchlorate, Toluene, Xylene, and Benzene. VOCs contribute to the distinctive odor of gasoline and many solvents. VOCs are in a wide variety of commercial, industrial and residential products including fuel oils, gasoline, anti-freeze, solvents, cleaners, de-greasers, paints, inks, dyes, refrigerants, and pesticides. People are most exposed to VOC’s through the air, in food, through skin contact, and from tainted water supplies.

How do VOC’s affect Drinking Water?
Most of VOC’s found in the environment result from human carelessness. When VOC’s spill onto the ground, or seep out of a sealed container, a percentage evaporates into the air, but some soak into the ground. Then VOCs saturate in the top layer of soil and penetrate deeper into the ground with each rainfall, irrigation, or snow melting, reaching the groundwater table. VOC’s migrate underground to nearby wells and can end up in drinking water supplies.

When VOC’s spill over into public and rural water supplies from negligence or fluke events, or dumped into the sewer and drain water, the threat and risk of exposure to VOCs increases. Because of non-enforced regulations, negligence, and sometimes malicious intent, VOC tainting has migrated into thousands of water supplies across the USA during the past 50 years of Commercial and Industrial manufacturing.

What Factors contribute to VOC contamination of Well Water? 
When a well water supply is near the proximity of VOC soil contamination this is a vital factor to consider why well water (groundwater) becomes tainted with VOCs. Many wells contaminated with VOC’s are close to septic tanks, industrial or commercial areas, gas stations, and landfills. The amount of VOC’s dumped or spilled into the ground also determines the level of contamination. Smaller, more localized spills do not have the same impact on water quality as large, long term spills or leakage from underground tanks or industrial spills that can migrate over a much larger geographical area and increase VOC level percentage.

Shallow wells are often affected quicker and more than deeper wells when contaminants are present on the ground soil surface. Rural water covered by more porous soil or sandy soil is most vulnerable to VOC contamination when compared with denser, thick layered soils that may slow down the penetration of contaminants and may help to absorb the VOC’s before reaching the groundwater. Groundwater moves very slowly and a spill may take years to reach nearby wells, so wells may not be contaminated until months or years after a spill is discovered.

What are the Health Risks associated with VOC Contamination?
VOCs vary considerably in their toxicity and their impact on the environment. VOC’s are some of the most difficult contaminants to remove from water supplies requiring Special and “Unique” Filter Cartridges to extract them from the tainted source. Researchers have compiled an extensive amount of data about the health effects of VOCs from animal studies, and from studies of human exposures to large quantities of chemicals in multiple environments.

VOC’s at high levels may be harmful to the central nervous system, the kidneys or the liver. Immediate symptoms of VOC exposure are vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness, rapid heartbeat, eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, memory impairment, nausea, and fatigue. At high-level contamination, possible damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system can occur, and at extremely high-level exposure a possibility of leukemia, lymphoma, and even death may occur.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What are Chloramines?
Chloramines are among the most common disinfectants used to treat drinking water. Chloramines combine Ammonia and Chlorine to create a longer-lasting oxidizer for bacteria disinfection than just traditional Chlorine by itself. Like VOCs, Chloramines are some of the most difficult contaminants to remove from water supplies requiring Special and “Unique” Filter Cartridges to extract them from the supply. When Chloramines are used to disinfect water, they are secondary disinfection. Municipalities have used Chloramines for almost 90 years. One in five Americans uses drinking water treated with chloramines.

Chloramines exist as three unique forms: monochloramine (NH2Cl), dichloramine (NHCl2) and trichloramine (NCl3). Because these three chemicals are similar and converted into each other, they are chloramines as a group instead of isolating one from the other. These three forms of chloramine rotate from one form to another. The form that predominates the three forms depends on pH, temperature, turbulence, and the chlorine to ammonia ratio.

What are the side effects of Chloramines?
Chloramines do not dissipate compared to chlorine. They remain in water supplies and distribution systems longer than chlorine. Due to their chemical composition Chloramines are very difficult to remove and require extensive carbon filtration and a reverse osmosis filtration system, or a Cation filtering system to remove both the chlorine and ammonia from the supply water. Boiling, distilling, or allowing water to stand uncovered for lengthy periods of time can not remove chloramines. Some disinfection byproducts of chloramines are even more toxic than those of chlorine. Chloramine vapors and its byproducts can accumulate and concentrate inside of indoor areas such as a shower stall, small bathroom, kitchen, or apartment.

What are the Health Risks associated with Chloramine disinfectant?
Chloramines cannot kill pathogens in water supplies like chlorine can. As a result, people with suppressed immune systems must boil their water for over TEN minutes, BEFORE consuming the water to ensure pathogens are no longer present, or they risk becoming ill. Children under 6 months of age, the elderly, those who have had chemotherapy, people with HIV or AIDS, organ transplant patients, and others with a weakened immune system are also at monumental health risks when consuming water where Chloramines exist.

Chloramines can aggravate and cause respiratory problems. Chloramine fumes can cause sneezing, sinus congestion, coughing, choking, wheezing, shortness of breath, and asthma. Chloramines damage mucous membranes. The lung damage in people exposed to chloramines in enclosed pool air is like that in people who smoke cigarettes. Chloramine vapor from showers, baths, hot tubs, dishwashers, and other household appliances contains volatile chemicals that can cause irritation to the entire respiratory system.

Chloramines can also aggravate skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. They can cause bleeding lips, dry mouth, and a dry throat. Chloramines can cause burning, red, irritated dry eyes. Skin exposure to the Ammonia in Chloramines breaks down cell structural proteins, extracts water from the cells, and starts an inflammatory response which further damages surrounding cell tissues. Kidney dialysis patients cannot use water containing Chloramines in their dialysis machines because it will cause hemolytic anemia which could be fatal to the patient. 

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What is MTBE? MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether)
Since the late 1970s gasoline has used MTBE as an additive to reduce knocking in Engines when Lead became banned.

It’s an organic chemical compound combining methanol and isobutylene. It is colorless and flammable, can disintegrate and evaporate into the air, and is a Volatile Organic Chemical (VOC). MTBE has a powerful taste and odor that many people say resembles turpentine fumes. MTBE is much more soluble in water than most other ingredients of gasoline, allowing it to migrate faster and farther into the ground than other gasoline components.

Gasoline spills, leaks in Gasoline storage tanks above and below ground, breaches in distribution pipelines, drips and leaks from automobiles, motorcycles, boats and other gas-powered vehicles and equipment all contribute to MTBE being dissolved and diluted into public and private water supplies when penetrating deep into the earth after heavy rainfall. Since the late 1990s, MTBE levels are being detected in many community drinking water supplies all across the United States and many areas have phased out MTBE use in gasoline because of groundwater contamination. Today ethanol replaces.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What Is Xylene?
Xylene is a volatile and flammable hydrocarbon which is colorless and has a sweet odor. We find it in petroleum, coal tar, and wood tar. We use xylene in printing, leather and rubber industries, as a cleaning agent, a degreasing agent, a thinner for inks, adhesives, paints, and varnishes, for producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, and manufacturing of polyester clothing.

We can also find xylene can in pesticides. We categorize xylene in Class III of hazardous substances. It is very dangerous to humans and animals. Some health effects of Xylene are breathing problems, loss of memory, slower reaction times, and neurological effects such as headaches, dizziness, lack of coordination, and confusion.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What is Toluene?
Toluene is a common ingredient in degreasers and in crude oil. We use it in oil refining and manufacturing of paints, lacquers, explosives, glues, and as an octane booster in gasoline. It’s a colorless liquid with a sweet smell and taste. It is a benzene derivative. In homes, it exposes people to top levels of toluene in paint thinners, paintbrush cleaners, nail polish, glues, inks, and stain removers. We also find toluene in car exhaust and cigarette smoke.

When toluene spills on the ground, it can seep into the soil and contaminate private wells and water streams. Toluene has a long-term residual effect in soil or water if it is not in contact with air. When toluene contaminates home water supplies, people may inhale the chemical while washing, bathing, or using other household water. We also use toluene as a coolant in nuclear reactor system loops and removing cocaine from coca leaves in producing Coca-Cola syrup.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What is Benzene?
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It has a sweet odor and is a colorless, flammable liquid. Benzene is a major industrial solvent used to produce plastic, oil, synthetic rubber, to degrease metal, an octane booster in gasoline, in fabric dyes, and in Plastics Manufacturing.

Forest fires and volcanic eruptions dispense Benzene into the atmosphere. It is a carcinogen and a major component in cigarette smoke. Until World War II, they manufactured benzene as a by-product of coal production for the steel industry. However, the growing demand for benzene from the plastics industry perpetuated production from petroleum.

Vapors inhaled in a home from products that contain benzene are glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents. Outdoor air may contain low levels of benzene vapors from gas stations, burning wood, tobacco smoke, gasoline fueling, motor vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What is Perchlorate?
Perchlorate is an ingredient for Rocket and Missile fuel, FIREWORKS, highway safety flares, pyrotechnics, explosives, common batteries, and in the automotive industry. Perchlorate can also be present in bleach and in some fertilizers. It is a salt or ester of perchloric acid. It occurs in our environment and also a manmade contaminant.

Perchlorate concerns are on the rise as we find it in groundwater, surface water, and soil across the USA. We have reported perchlorate contamination in at least 26 states. Most Perchlorates are Water Soluble, placing them in the Drinking Water Priority category.

Perchlorate affects human health by interfering with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, thus disrupting the production of thyroid hormones critical to normal brain development and growth in fetuses, infants, and children. With adults, the thyroid gland helps regulate the metabolism by releasing hormones. An investigation in 2001 showed water supplies detected above normal levels of Perchlorate that supplied water to over 7 million Californians. In July 2010 the CEC released a list of Enfant Formulas that contain traces of Perchlorate and the contaminant list continues to multiply. https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Perchlorate_FactSheet.html

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.

What Are Chloramines?
Chloramines are among the most common disinfectants used to treat drinking water. Chloramines combine Ammonia and Chlorine to create a longer-lasting oxidizer for bacteria disinfection than just traditional Chlorine by itself. Like VOCs, Chloramines are some of the most difficult contaminants to remove from water supplies requiring Special and “Unique” Filter Cartridges to extract them from the water supply. We know chloramine disinfection as secondary disinfection. Municipalities have used Chloramines for almost 90 years, and it regulates their use. Over one in five Americans use drinking water treated with chloramines. 

Chloramines exist as three distinct forms: mono chloramine (NH2Cl), dichloramine (NHCl2) and trichloramine (NCl3). They convert these three distinct chemicals into each other, so they are chloramines as a group instead of isolating one from the other. These three forms of chloramine change form from one form to another. The form that predominates the three forms depends on pH, temperature, turbulence, and the chlorine to ammonia ratio.

What are the side effects of Chloramines?
Chloramines do not dissipate compared to chlorine. Chloramines remain in water supplies and distribution systems longer than chlorine. Chloramines are very difficult to remove and require extensive carbon filtration and a reverse osmosis filtration system, or a Cation filtering system to remove both the chlorine and ammonia from the supply water. Boiling, distilling, or allowing water to stand uncovered can not remove chloramines. Some disinfection byproducts of chloramines are even more toxic than those of chlorine. Chloramine vapors and its byproducts can accumulate and concentrate in ventilated indoor areas such as a shower stall, small bathroom, kitchen, or apartment.

What are the Health Risks associated with Chloramine disinfectant?
Chloramines cannot kill pathogens in water supplies as chlorine can. As a result, people with suppressed immune systems must boil their water for over TEN minutes, BEFORE consuming the water to ensure pathogens are no longer present, or they risk becoming ill. Children under 6 months of age, the elderly, those who have had chemotherapy, people with HIV or AIDS, organ transplant patients, and others with a weakened immune system are also a significant health risk when consuming water where Chloramines are present.

Chloramines can aggravate and cause respiratory problems. Chloramine fumes can cause sneezing, sinus congestion, coughing, choking, wheezing, shortness of breath, and asthma. Chloramines damage mucous membranes. The lung damage in people exposed to chloramines in enclosed pool air is like that in people who smoke cigarettes. Chloramine vapor from showers, baths, hot tubs, dishwashers, and other household appliances contains volatile chemicals that can cause irritation to the entire respiratory system.

Chloramines can also aggravate skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Chloramines can cause bleeding lips, dry mouth, and a dry throat. Chloramines can cause burning, red, irritated dry eyes. Skin exposure to the Ammonia in Chloramines breaks down cell structural proteins, extracts water from the cells, and starts an inflammatory response which further damages surrounding cell tissues. Kidney dialysis patients cannot use water containing Chloramines in their dialysis machines because it will cause hemolytic anemia which could be fatal to the patient.

Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration is your most trusted source for the most diversified Filtration Systems and Oxidation Systems to remove Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hydro-Carbon Gases, and other water contaminants. We protect your health better with affordable and powerful solutions.