Contaminant Terms

Chlorine: A chemical used to disinfect water. Chlorine kills grass and burns your skin. When you drink it, inhale the vapors, or absorb it through your skin, it kills some part of you.

Lead: Lead in drinking water can cause a variety of adverse health effects. In babies and children, exposure to lead in drinking water above the acccepted level can result in delays in physical and mental development, along with slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. In adults, it can cause increases in blood pressure. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

Cysts: A cyst is the survivable form that parasites take on when they leave the host (you, me, your dog, etc...). The parasite goes dormant and grows a thick covering like an egg which allows it to survive in water or soil for long periods of time. The covering even allows it to survive the chlorine-based disinfectants typically used by the water treatment industry. The most common types of cyst that cause disease in humans are Giardia and Cryptosporidium. These intestinal parasite cysts "hatch" when ingested by humans and cause intestinal disease. The diseases are not life-threatening if treated, but can be dangerous to people with weakened immune systems.

THMs: Trihalomethane; a category of carcinongenic chemicals formed when organic chemicals in water combine with chlorine.

VOCs: Volatile organic chemical; a class of chemicals that evaporate easily. They can be absorbed through the skin or inhalation.

Lindane: Lindane is the primary synonym for gamma- Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) also commonly referred to as benzene hexachloride (BHC). Lindane is a nerve poison, an organochlorine pesticide. Lindane is a known carcinogen in the State of California where it has been banned. Lindane is an endocrine disrupting chemical and persistent organic pollutant. Lindane is found in air, water and soil samples throughout the world. Lindane is documented in human breast milk and amniotic fluid. Many countries have banned lindane. Unfortunately, in the United States, it is still widely prescribed and used on children and their families for treating head lice and scabies. It is also used on pets, livestock, fruits and vegetables, cotton, wool, tobacco, plants, trees and as a wood preservative.

Alachlor: Alachlor is an odorless, white solid. The greatest use of alachlor is as an herbicide for control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in crops, primarily on corn, sorghum and soybeans. Alachlor is the second most widely used herbicide in the United States, with particularly heavy use on corn and soybeans in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Short-term Effects: The EPA has found alachlor to potentially cause the following health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for relatively short periods of time: slight skin and eye irritation.

Long-term Effects: Alachlor has the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: damage to liver, kidney, spleen; lining of nose and eyelids; cancer.

Atrazine: Atrazine is an herbicide that does not occur naturally. Pure atrazine is an odorless, white powder that is not very volatile, reactive, or flammable and that will dissolve in water. Atrazine is used to kill weeds, primarily on farms, but has also been used on highway and railroad rights-of-way. The EPA now restricts how atrazine can be used and applied; only trained people are allowed to spray it. Liver, kidney, and heart damage has been observed in animals exposed to atrazine. We do not know if this would also occur in humans. Atrazine has also been shown to cause changes in blood hormone levels in animals that affected ovulation and the ability to reproduce. These effects are not expected to occur in humans because of specific biological differences between humans and these types of animals.

Benzene: Benzene is a clear, colorless aromatic liquid. It is highly flammable. The greatest use of benzene is as a building block for making plastics, rubber, resins and synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester. It is also used as a solvent in printing, paints, dry cleaning, etc.

TCE: Trichloroethylene is a colorless or blue organic liquid with a chloroform-like odor. The greatest use of trichloroethylene is to remove grease from fabricated metal parts and some textiles.

MTBE: MTBE is a member of a group of chemicals commonly known as fuel oxygenates. Oxygenates are added to fuel to increase its oxygen content. MTBE is used in gasoline throughout the United States to reduce carbon monoxide and ozone levels caused by auto emissions. MTBE has replaced the use of lead as an octane enhancer since 1979.