Abstract
The paper presents results of analyses of 7671 groundwater samples collected from 1115 screens in the period 1993 to 2001 for the Danish National Groundwater Monitoring Program. In Denmark groundwater is widely used for drinking water and the objectives of the monitoring program is to describe the present conditions, the development of, and the impacts on the groundwater. The design of the Danish National Groundwater Monitoring Program is described and data are provided. Data originate from monitoring areas and are supplemented with data from the waterworks' control of nearly 6000 water supply wells. In addition to pesticides there is a series of other organic compounds that must be considered in relation to possible groundwater contamination. Sources of these compounds and their importance in relation to groundwater contamination is discussed on the basis of the monitoring data. The organic micropollutants monitored are grouped according to chemical properties: aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorophenols, detergents, halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons, ethers (MTBE), phenols, and phthalates. The most frequently found compounds were toluene (18.7% ), phenol (14.6%), xylene (10.9), trichloromethane (9.5%), and benzene (in 8.8% of the screens monitored). The five compounds most frequently found at a concentration above the maximum residue limits (MRL) for drinkingwater were: dibuthylphthalate (28%), phenol (14%), 2,4-dichlorophenol (10%), trichloromethane (10%), pentachlorophenol (7% of findings exceeding the MRL for drinkingwater). Overall, one or several compound was observed at least once in 57.8% of the 1115 screens monitored within the period 1993–2001. On a yearly basis the median finding frequency was 19%.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anon: 1996, Threat to Potable Groundwater Supplies from the Fuel Additive MTBE, R & D Technical Report, Environment Agency, Bristol.
Anon: 2001a, in V. S. Magar, J. T. Gibbs, K. T. O'Reilly, M. R. Hyman, and A. Leeson (eds), ‘Bioremediation of MTBE, Alcohols, and Ethers’, International in Situ and on-Site Bioremediation Symposium, 6th, San Diego, California, [6], Battelle Press, Columbus, Richland.
Anon: 2001b, Wassergüte in Österreich - Jahresbericht 2000 (Water Quality in Austria - Annual report 2000, in German), Austrian Federal Environment Agency, Wien.
Apfalter, S., Krska, R., Linsinger, T., Oberhauser, A., Kandler, W. and Grasserbauer, M.: 1999, ‘Interlaboratory comparison study for the determination of halogenated hydrocarbons in water’, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 364, 660-665.
Baehr, A. L., Stackelberg, P. E. and Baker, R. J.: 2003, ‘Evaluation of the atmosphere as a source of volatile organic compounds in shallow groundwater’, Water Resour. Res. 35, 127-136.
Bruce, B. W. and McMahon, P. B.: 1996, ‘Shallow ground-water quality beneath a major urban centre: Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.’, J. Hydrol. 186, 129-151.
Chauret, C. Inniss, W. E. and Mayfield, C. I.: 1996, ‘Biotransformation at 10 degrees C of di-n-butyl phthalate in subsurface microcosms’, 34, 791-794.
Church, C. D., Isabelle, L. M., Pankow, J. F., Rose, D. L. and Tratnyek, P. G.: 1997, ‘Method for determination of methyl tert-Butyl ether and its degradation products in water’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 31, 3723-3726.
Cozzarelli, I. M., Herman, J. S. and Baedecker, M. J.: 1995, ‘Fate of microbial metabolites of hydrocarbons in a coastal plain aquifer: The role of electron acceptors.’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 29, 458-469.
Elshahed, M. S., Gieg, L.M., McInerney, M. J. and Suflita, J.M.: 2001, ‘Alkylbenzenes in Anaerobic Environments’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 682-689.
Flórez Menéndez, J. C., Fernández Sánchez, M. L., Sánchez Uría, J. E., Fernández Martínez, E. and Sanz-Medel, A.: 2000, ‘Static headspace, solid-phase microextraction and headspace solidphase microextraction for BTEX determination in aqueous samples by gas chromatography’, Anal. Chim. Acta. 415, 9-20.
Fries, G. F.: 1996, ‘Ingestion of sludge applied organic chemicals by animals’, Sci. Tot. Environ. 185, 93-108.
Gersberg, R. M., Carroquino, M. J., Fischer, D. E. and Dawsey, J.: 1995, ‘Biomonitoring of Toxicity Reduction During in-Situ Bioremediation of Monoaromatic Compounds in Groundwater’, Water Res. 29, 545-550.
Grady, S. J.: 1997, Distribution of MTBE in in New England by aquifer type and land use, in 213th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco (eds), American Chemical Society, Washington, D. C, pp. ENVR–207.
Haeseler, F., Blanchet, D., Druelle, V., Werner, P. and Vandecasteele, J. P.: 1999, ‘Ecotoxicological assessment of soils of former manufactured-gas plant sites - Bioremediation potential and pollutant mobility’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 33, 4379-4384.
Henriksen, H. J. and Stockmarr, J.: 1999, Groundwater Resources in Denmark. Modelling and Monitoring, (eds.), IWSA World Water Congress, Technical Paper, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. SS9-4–SS9-11.
Häggblom, M. M.: 1992, ‘Microbial breakdown of halogenated aromatic pesticides and related compounds’, FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 103, 29-72.
Johnson, R., Pankow, J., Bender, D., Price, C. and Zogorski, J.: 2000, ‘MTBE - To, what extent will past releases community water supply wells?’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 34, 210A-217A.
Jonkers, N., Knepper, T. P. and De Voogt, P.: 2001, ‘Aerobic biodegration studies of nonylphenol ethoxylates in river water using liquid chromatography - Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 335-340.
Juhasz, A. L. and Naidu, R.: 2000, ‘Bioremediation of high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a review of the microbial degradation of benzo[a]pyrene’, Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad.
Kelley, C. A., Hammer, B. T. and Coffin, R. B.: 1997, ‘Concentrations and stable isotope values of BTEX in gasoline-contaminated groundwater’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 31, 2469-2472.
Kuo, H. W., Chiang, T. F., Lo, J. I., Chan, C. C., Lai, J. S. and Wang, J. D.: 1997, ‘Exposure assessment of volatile organic compounds from water in Taiwan metropolitan and petrochemical areas’, Bull. Environ. Contam. Tox. 59, 708-714.
Laturnus, F., Taselmann, K. F. H., Borch, T. and Groen, C.: 2002, ‘Terrestrial natural sources of trichloromethane (chloroform, CHCl3) - An overview’, Biogeochem. 60, 121-139.
Li, H.-Q. and Schröder, H. F.: 2000, ‘Surfactants - standard determination methods in comparison with substance specific mass spectrometric methods and toxicity testing by Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri’, Water Sci. Technol. 42, 391-398.
Long, G. and Meek, E.: 1997, ‘Environmental health criteria for Di-n-butyl phthalate’, Environ. Health Crit. 189, 17-205.
Maag, J.: 1998, Substance flow Analysis (SFA) for Dichloromethane, Trichloroethylene and Tetrachloroethylene - Massestrømsanalyse for Dichlormethan, Trichlorethylen og Tetrachlorethylen (in Danish with English abstract), Miljøprojekt, Minis try of Environment and Energy, Copenhagen.
Mancini, E. R., Steen, A., Rausina, G. A., Wong, D. C. L., Arnold, W. R., Gostomski, F. E., Davies, T., Hockett, J. R., Stubblefield, W. A., Drottar, K. R., Springer, T. A. and Errico, P.: 2002, ‘MTBE ambient water quality criteria development: A public/private partnership’, Environ Sci. Technol. 36, 125-129.
Pankow, J. F., Thomson, N. R., Jhonson, R. L., Baehr, A. L. and Zogorski, J. S.: 1997, ‘The urban atmosphere as a non-point source for the transport of MTBE and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to shallow groundwater’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 31, 2821-2828.
Poelarends, G. J., Kulakov, L. A., Larkin, M. J., Van Hylckama Vlieg, J. E. and Janssen, D. B.: 2000, ‘Roles of Horizontal Gene Transfer and Gene Integration in Evolution of 1,3-Dichloropropeneand 1,2-Dibromoethane-Degradative Pathways’, J. Bacteriol. 182, 2191-2199.
Rahman, F., Langford, K. H., Scrimshaw, M. D. and Lester, J. N.: 2001, ‘Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants’, Sci. Total Envir. 275, 1-17.
Rao, P. S. C., Hornsby, A. G. and Jessup, R. E.: 1985, ‘Indices for ranking the potential for pesticide contamination of ground-water’, Soil Crop Sci. Soc. Florida Proc. 44, 1.
Renner, R.: 2000, ‘What fate for brominated fire retardants?’, Environ Sci. Technol. 34, 222A-2226A.
Schanstra, J. P., Ridder, A., Kingma, J. and Janssen, D. B.: 1997, ‘Influence of mutations of Val226 on the catalytic rate of haloalkane dehalogenase’, Protein Eng. 10, 53-61.
Schröder, H. F.: 2001, ‘Tracing of surfactants in the biological wastewater treatment process and the identification of their metabolites by flow injection-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and-tandem mass spectrometry’, J. Chromatogr. A 926, 127-150.
Squillace, P. J., Zogorski, J. S., Wilber, W. G. and Price, C. V.: 1996, ‘Preliminary assessment of the occurrence and possible sources of MTBE in groundwater in the United-States, 1993-1994’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 30, 1721-1730.
Squillace, P. J., Moran, M. J., Lapham, W.W., Price, C. V., Clawges, R.M. and Zogorski, J. S.: 1999, ‘Volatile organic compounds in untreated ambient groundwater of the United States, 1985-1995’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 33, 4176-4187.
Squillace, P. J., Scott, J. C., Moran, M. J., Nolan, B. T. and Kolpin, D. W.: 2002, ‘VOCs, pesticides, nitrate, and their mixtures in groundwater used for drinking water in the United States’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 1923-1930.
Staples, C. A., Peterson, D. R., Parkerton, T. F. and Adams, W. J.: 1997, ‘The environmental fate of phthalate esters: a literature review’, Chemosphere 35, 667-749.
Stockmarr, J.: 1997, in J. C. Refsgaard & E. A. Karalis (eds), ‘Revised Groundwater Quality Monitoring Programme in Denmark 1998-2003’, Proceedings of the European Water Resources Association Conference, A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 49-55.
Thierrin, J., Davis, G. B. and Barber, C.: 1995, ‘A groundwater tracer test with deuterated compounds for monitoring in-situ biodegradation and retardation of aromatic-hydrocarbons’, 33, 469-475.
Thomas, A. O. and Lester, J. N.: 1993, ‘The microbial remediation of former gasworks sites - A review’, Environ. Technol. 14, 1-24.
Tulloch, C., Matthews, D., Seyfried, S. and Beatty, J.: 1999, Occurrence of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) in Groundwater at Operating UST Facilities in Santa Clara County: A Study to Assess Groundwater Vulnerability, in Proc. Pet. Hydrocarbons Org. Chem. (eds.), National Association, Westerville, Ohio.
Veningerova, M., Prachar, V., Kovacicova, J. and Uhnak, J.: 1997, ‘Analytical methods for the determination of organochlorine compounds: Application to environmental samples in the Slovak Republic’, J. Chromatogr. A 774, 333-347.
Vogel, T. M., Criddle, C. S. and Mccarty, P. L.: 1987, ‘Transformation of halogenated aliphatic compounds’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 21, 722-736.
Widdel, F. and Rabus, R.: 2001, ‘Anaerobic biodegradation of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons’, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 12, 259-276.
Zogorski, J. S., Delzer, G. C., Bender, D. A., Squillace, P. J., Lopes, T. J., Baehr, A. L., Stackelberg, P. E., Landmeyer, J. E., Boughton, C. J., Lico, M. S., Pankow, J. F., Johnson, R. L. and Thomson, N. R.: 1998, MTBE: Summary of Findings and Research by the U.S. Geological Survey, in Proc. - Annu. Conf., Am. Water Works Assoc. (eds.), U.S. Geological Survey, Rapid City, SD, pp. 287-309.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Juhler, R.K., Felding, G. Monitoring Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) and other Organic Micropollutants in Groundwater: Results from the Danish National Monitoring Program. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 149, 145–161 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025690214854
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025690214854