When running a tap in Frederick, MD, you might notice water that meets all safety standards but still want to know about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and solvent contaminants in your household supply. VOCs include compounds such as 1,1-dichloroethane, chloromethane, bromomethane, HCFC-22, Halon 1011, 1,3-butadiene, and MTBE. The City of Frederick provides surface water to about 54,000 people through 16,600 connections. Federal monitoring from 2013 to 2015 detected no VOCs above reporting levels in this system, indicating presence, if any, is very low rather than absent or unsafe.
How Seasonal Water-Table Changes Move a Solvent Plume Relative to a Well Screen
Water tables fluctuate seasonally in Frederick’s surface water sources, influencing contaminant positions
Seasonal rises and falls in the water table can cause solvent plumes—subsurface pockets containing volatile organics—to shift their location vertically and horizontally relative to water intakes and well screens. In wet seasons, higher water levels can dilute or move contaminants away from intake points, while dry seasons may concentrate or reposition plumes nearer to draw points. This dynamic means VOC concentrations in water potentially vary over time even before household treatment.
Why Volatility Matters: Showering, Dishwashing, and Inhalation Routes Versus Drinking
VOCs can enter your body not only by ingestion but also by inhalation during household water use
Volatile organics tend to evaporate into air during common water uses such as showering, washing dishes, or cooking. This volatilization creates inhalation exposure pathways that differ from drinking water consumption. Because exposures can occur through breathing VOCs released from tap water aerosols, controlling VOCs in household water benefits more than just the taste or ingestion safety of the water itself.
What a Laboratory's Method Detection Limit Means When a Compound Is 'Not Detected'
'Not detected' means concentrations are below the reporting threshold, not necessarily zero
Laboratory tests for VOCs report compounds as 'not detected' if the concentration is below their method detection limit—e.g., 0.03 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for 1,1-dichloroethane or 0.2 µg/L for chloromethane. This limit is the smallest amount reliably measurable, meaning very low levels might still exist but were not quantifiable. Therefore, 'not detected' should not be confused with absence or safety guarantees; only individual well or tap water tests provide specific results.
What Happens When This Problem Is Left Untreated for Years, Stated Without Exaggeration
Long-term household exposure to VOCs through water may contribute to cumulative health effects and nuisance issues
While Frederick’s public system monitoring shows no current VOC levels above detection limits, volatile organics can accumulate or fluctuate in well water or plumbing over time. Untreated VOCs may impart undesirable tastes or odors, corrode plumbing materials, or lead to chronic low-level exposures. Addressing VOCs proactively in household water helps manage these risks but requires verifying your own water conditions with testing.
What Distinguishes This Problem From the Two Problems Most Often Confused With It
VOC contamination differs from microbial contamination and mineral hardness in cause, detection, and treatment
- Microbial contamination involves bacteria or viruses and requires different handling such as disinfection, while VOCs are chemical solvents primarily removed by adsorption technologies.
- Water hardness is caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium; it affects scaling rather than vapor-phase exposure and is addressed by water softening, not VOC filtration.
Considering your household's daily water use and demand is essential when choosing between filtration equipment classes aimed at volatile organics. The Fleck VOCs & Industrial Chemicals Filter ships ready to configure for residential scale and uses proven adsorption media to reduce VOC concentrations effectively at volumes appropriate to typical household demand. Before selecting treatment, testing your own household water for VOCs clarifies the system needed to meet your family's exposure and quality preferences.
Where this information comes from
Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2015-12-09. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.
On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for City of Frederick (MD0100015), MD: 108 results across 7 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level
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