EWG INVESTIGATION

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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

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Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Bromomethane is a pesticide used for soil, grain, indoor air and other applications; and a solvent used to extract vegetable and seed oils. Potential health impacts associated with Bromomethane include cardiovascular or blood toxicity, developmental toxicity, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory toxicity, and skin sensitivity.

Sources of Bromomethane:

	Agriculture (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)
	Industry

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Bromomethane tests reported by 25,443 public water suppliers in 38 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 619 thousand people in 113 communities drank water contaminated with Bromomethane. In 1 of these communities, tap water was contaminated at levels above health-based thresholds. Bromomethane remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

618,788 People drinking water contaminated with Bromomethane 113 Communities served water contaminated with Bromomethane 2,400 People drinking water contaminated with Bromomethane over health based limits 1 Community served water with Bromomethane above health based limits

Table. Bromomethane Exposure by State

2,400 Americans in 1 states were served tap water contaminated with Bromomethane at levels above health-based limits between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Bromomethane contamination		Water suppliers reporting Bromomethane above health-based limits
	Systems	Population	Systems	Population
Florida	2	28,280	1	2,400
Delaware	1	200,000	0	0
California	12	112,973	0	0
Tennessee	2	47,777	0	0
New Jersey	1	43,000	0	0
Wisconsin	4	26,614	0	0
North Carolina	10	26,328	0	0
Pennsylvania	4	22,950	0	0
Arkansas	19	21,170	0	0
Texas	15	20,918	0	0
Idaho	1	18,000	0	0
Alabama	3	11,055	0	0
New Mexico	2	10,061	0	0
Utah	2	7,000	0	0
Ohio	7	5,741	0	0
Arizona	4	3,510	0	0
Oklahoma	6	2,761	0	0
New York	2	2,608	0	0
Colorado	6	2,319	0	0
Alaska	3	2,147	0	0
Washington	2	1,742	0	0
Illinois	2	1,134	0	0
Iowa	1	427	0	0
New Hampshire	1	158	0	0
Virginia	1	115	0	0
Total	113	618,788	1	2,400

Table. The most polluted communities

2,400 Americans in 1 communities were served tap water contaminated with Bromomethane above health based limits between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Bromomethane level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Bay County Water System Panama City, FL	2,400	1 of 1	19 ppb (19 to 19 ppb)

Health based limits for Bromomethane

Health Limit	Limit Value	Limit Description
EPA Human Health Water Quality Criteria	47 ppb	Water quality criteria set by the US EPA provide guidance for states and tribes authorized to establish water quality standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect human health. These are non-enforceable standards based upon exposure by both drinking water and the contribution of water contamination to other consumed foods. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 1-day exposure	100 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	100 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	10 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	50 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 Bromomethane

Water suppliers report an average of 0.6 Bromomethane tests per year. 14,308 water suppliers failed to report any Bromomethane tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Bromomethane by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Bromomethane (1998-2003): 25,443 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.6 per year

Bromomethane Violations

Because Bromomethane is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for Bromomethane, and any level is legal in tap water.