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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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Status: Regulated - EPA has established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Total haloacetic acids is a measure of disinfection by-products; refers to the sum of the concentrations of dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monochloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid in a water sample.. No information on potential health impacts for Total haloacetic acids was identified in standard government and academic sources. [read more]

Sources of Total haloacetic acids:

Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts (pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Total haloacetic acids tests reported by 4,214 public water suppliers in 31 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 72.7 million people in 2,830 communities drank water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids. In 935 of these communities, tap water was contaminated at levels above health-based thresholds.

Exposure Summary

72,692,654 People drinking water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids 2,830 Communities served water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids 20,251,582 People drinking water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids over health based limits 935 Communities served water with Total haloacetic acids above health based limits

Table. Total haloacetic acids Exposure by State

20.3 million Americans in 27 states were served tap water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids at levels above health-based limits between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Total haloacetic acids contamination		Water suppliers reporting Total haloacetic acids above health-based limits
	Systems	Population	Systems	Population
North Carolina	145	4,614,088	107	3,344,808
Pennsylvania	248	8,590,106	61	2,719,227
Tennessee	133	3,342,055	101	2,503,812
Virginia	83	4,331,400	47	2,438,202
Arkansas	317	2,784,773	93	1,670,111
Oklahoma	40	2,015,809	25	1,222,762
Ohio	288	7,469,379	101	1,203,696
Florida	69	3,765,863	24	1,155,414
Texas	51	2,715,574	21	870,911
Massachusetts	66	4,641,543	11	771,353
California	135	4,446,676	28	567,712
Missouri	116	1,331,468	82	565,895
Illinois	732	9,080,186	138	472,974
Maine	36	414,838	25	207,032
New York	43	335,816	22	203,430
Montana	19	183,876	6	123,078
North Dakota	22	307,269	9	68,543
Michigan	74	1,985,862	11	37,406
Iowa	16	346,484	4	28,609
Oregon	27	263,870	5	26,220
Wisconsin	18	1,352,838	2	13,936
Wyoming	23	185,453	4	13,510
Minnesota	53	2,116,602	3	13,151
New Mexico	6	167,094	1	8,092
Nevada	17	1,921,532	2	972
Alaska	5	154,688	1	666
Delaware	9	212,699	1	60
Arizona	20	2,708,199	0	0
Nebraska	19	906,614	0	0
Total	2,830	72,692,654	935	20,251,582

Table. The most polluted communities

20.3 million Americans in 935 communities were served tap water contaminated with Total haloacetic acids above health based limits between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Total haloacetic acids level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Madawaska Water District Madawaska, ME	2,885	1 of 1	380 ppb (380 to 380 ppb)
2	Sunnier Palms Campground Ft. Pierce, FL	100	1 of 1	341 ppb (341 to 341 ppb)
3	Creighton Creighton, MO	290	40 of 40	256.82 ppb (8.7 to 504 ppb)
4	Ark Human Development Center Booneville, AR	600	5 of 5	236.8 ppb (129 to 368 ppb)
5	Ridgeway Ridgeway, MO	505	38 of 40	234.42 ppb (0 to 530 ppb)
6	Garden City Garden City, MO	1,364	40 of 40	230.52 ppb (83 to 563 ppb)
7	Cathedral Oaks Brownsville, CA	140	1 of 1	180 ppb (180 to 180 ppb)
8	Cooksville Chenoa, IL	300	16 of 16	174.33 ppb (27.5 to 424 ppb)
9	Hindsboro Hindsboro, IL	375	15 of 15	174.07 ppb (95.8 to 316.1 ppb)
10	Breckenridge Breckenridge, MO	454	40 of 40	171.09 ppb (38.4 to 358 ppb)

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Health based limits for Total haloacetic acids

Health Limit	Limit Value	Limit Description
Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL)	60 ppb	The enforceable standard which defines the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to health-based limits (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs) as feasible using the best available analytical and treatment technologies and taking cost into consideration. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Maximum Contaminant Limit Goal (MCLG)	30 ppb	A non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
One in ten thousand (10-4) Cancer Risk	70 ppb	The concentration of a chemical in drinking water corresponding to an excess estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 10,000. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 1-day exposure	5000 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for up to one day of exposure. The One-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 10-day exposure	5000 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic effects for up to ten days of exposure. The Ten-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Lifetime health-based limit, non-cancer risk	30 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for a lifetime of exposure. The Lifetime health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is based on exposure for a a 70-kg adult consuming 2 liters of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Drinking Water Equivalent Level	1000 ppb	A lifetime exposure concentration protective of adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects, that assumes all of the exposure to a contaminant is from drinking water. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Testing Summary for Total haloacetic acids

Water suppliers report an average of 1.9 Total haloacetic acids tests per year. 35,537 water suppliers failed to report any Total haloacetic acids tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Total haloacetic acids by federal law? Yes Water suppliers reporting tests for Total haloacetic acids (1998-2003): 4,214 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 1.9 per year

Total haloacetic acids Violations

Table. 0.4 percent of all water suppliers violated safe drinking water standards for Total haloacetic acids between 1998 and 2003

Violation Type	Violations	Systems
Any Violation (1998-2003)	409	207
	(0.4% of all suppliers)
Testing violations (1998-2003)	93	63
	(0.1% of all suppliers)
Violations of tap water pollution standards (1998-2003)	316	145
	(0.3% of all suppliers)