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.

Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) is a etbe is a fuel additive (an octane enhancerused in unleaded gasoline) that is made from ethanol. it is considered an alternative to mtbe.. No information on potential health impacts for Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) was identified in standard government and academic sources.

Sources of Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE):

	Sprawl and Urban Areas (road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)
	Industry

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) tests reported by 1,787 public water suppliers in 2 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 1.0 million people in 4 communities drank water contaminated with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE). No health-based limit has been established by the federal government.Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

1,038,331 People drinking water contaminated with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) 4 Communities served water contaminated with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE)

Table. Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) Exposure by State

1.0 million Americans in 1 states were served tap water contaminated with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) contamination
	Systems	Population
California	4	1,038,331
Total	4	1,038,331

Table. The most polluted communities

1.0 million Americans in 4 communities were served tap water contaminated with Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	White Fence Farms Mutual Water Company N Palmdale, CA	1,571	1 of 4	2.15 ppb (0 to 8.6 ppb)
2	Cwsc Oak Hills San Jose, CA	3,500	1 of 2	0.3 ppb (0 to 0.6 ppb)
3	San Jose Water Company San Jose, CA	979,000	1 of 67	0.13 ppb (0 to 8.9 ppb)
4	California Water Service - S San Francis San Jose, CA	54,260	1 of 10	0.08 ppb (0 to 0.8 ppb)

Testing Summary for Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE)

Water suppliers report an average of 1.2 Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) tests per year. 37,964 water suppliers failed to report any Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) (1998-2003): 1,787 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 1.2 per year

Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) Violations

Because Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE) 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 Ethyl-t-butyl ether (ETBE), and any level is legal in tap water.