science

VOC contamination of groundwater

VOC contamination of groundwater is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand VOC contamination of groundwater rather than just read about it. In short: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are dangerous contaminants of groundwater, leading to groundwater pollution. They are generally introduced to the environment through careless industrial practices.

Key takeaways

VOC contamination of groundwater belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VOC contamination of groundwater to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VOC contamination of groundwater from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are dangerous contaminants of groundwater, leading to groundwater pollution. They are generally introduced to the environment through careless industrial practices.

Overview VOCs are responsible for a number of adverse health effects, especially for nursing and pregnant mothers. Many of these compounds were not known to be harmful until the late 1960s, and it was some time before regular testing of groundwater identified these substances in drinking water sources.

Specific VOCs

PCE Tetrachloroethylene is used in metal degreasing and dry cleaning. It is suspected to cause cancer and a host of other health problems.

TCE Trichloroethylene is used in cleaning metal parts and was widely believed to be harmless before being linked to birth defects. It is suspected to cause cancer and a host of other health problems.

Toluene Toluene is an organic compound that is mostly harmless to adults and is sometimes abused as an inhalant. Fetal toluene syndrome has been defined and resembles fetal alcohol syndrome with resultant birth defects, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified differentiating features between the two syndromes including FTS having the additional facial features of micrognathia, large anterior fontanel, down-turned mouth corners, hair patterning abnormalities, bifrontal narrowing of the face, and ear abnormalities.

History

Camp Lejeune

U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was built near Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1942. In 1982, the Marine Corps discovered volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in several drinking water wells that fed into two of the eight water systems. The sources were traced to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) from two dry cleaners – one on base, the other off the base, and trichloroethylene which had been used in vehicle maintenance on the basis. These problems were addressed, but concerns remained regarding nursing and pregnant mothers who may have been previously exposed. It was not until the late 1990s that the federal government tried to track down people who may have been exposed.

Love Canal

Love Canal was an abandoned canal near Niagara Falls, New York which was used by the U.S. military and Occidental Petroleum as a chemical waste dumping ground. Numerous cases of cancer and birth defects were found from the 1950s to the 1970s. The primary VOC at Love Canal is toluene, which is found along with dioxins and other pollutants.

Valley of the Drums

The Valley of the Drums is a 23-acre (93,000 m2) toxic waste site in northern Bullitt County, Kentucky, near Louisville, named after the waste-containing drums strewn across the area. Contaminants include xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride, acetone, phthalates, anthracene, toluene, fluoranthene, alkyl benzene, vinyl chloride, dichloroethylene, and aliphatic acids. It is known as one of the primary motivations for the passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or Superfund Act of 1980.

See also Groundwater pollution Water quality

References

External links Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Pollution at Camp Lejeune EPA documents on Love Canal disaster

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VOC contamination of groundwater

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VOC contamination of groundwater claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VOC contamination of groundwater before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VOC contamination of groundwater ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VOC contamination of groundwater

In research: VOC contamination of groundwater appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VOC contamination of groundwater in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VOC contamination of groundwater is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Water pollution, Water supply, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VOC contamination of groundwater outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study VOC contamination of groundwater in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VOC contamination of groundwater means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VOC contamination of groundwater out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VOC contamination of groundwater in simple terms?

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are dangerous contaminants of groundwater, leading to groundwater pollution. They are generally introduced to the environment through careless industrial practices.

Why does VOC contamination of groundwater matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VOC contamination of groundwater?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VOC contamination of groundwater.