VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) also called POC’s (Primary Organic Contaminants), are a class of chemicals that vaporize easily at normal air temperatures. Possible sources of contamination include oil, gasoline, dry cleaning fluids, and industrial solvents. Gasoline is a mixture of VOC’s including benzene, toluene, and other hydrocarbons. VOC’s are recommended if you live near a Gas station or suspect contamination from a buried oil tank. There are 52 aromatic and halogenated petroleum compounds which make up these contaminates. Health effects are varied, including known carcinogens and birth defects. Some chemicals can be removed with activated carbon filtration. Other chemicals require activated carbon filtration in combination with reverse osmosis or distillation.
Compound list of VOC’s by EPA 524.2
- Benzene
- Bromobenzene
- Bromochloromethane
- Bromomethane
- n-Butylbenzene
- sec-Butylbenzene
- tert-Butylbenzene
- Carbon Tetrachloride
- Chlorobenzene
- Chloroethane
- Chloromethane
- 2-Chlorotoluene
- 4-Chlorotoluene
- Dibromomethane
- 1,2-Dichlorobenzene
- 1,3-Dichlorobenzene
- 1,4-Dichlorobenzene
- Dichlorodifluoromethane
- 1,1-Dichloroethane
- 1,2-Dichloroethane
- 1,1-Dichloroethene
- cis-1,2-Dichloroethene
- 1,2-Dichloropropane
- 1,3-Dichloropropane
- 2,2-Dichloropropane
- 1,1-Dichloropropene
- cis-1,3-Dichloropropene
- trans-1,3-Dichloropropene
- Ethylbenzene
- Hexachlorobutadiene
- Isopropylbenzene
- p-Isopropyltoluene
- Methylene Chloride
- Propylbenzene
- Styrene
- 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane
- 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
- Tetrachloroethene
- Toluene
- 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene
- 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
- 1,1,2-Trichloroethane
- Trichloroethene
- Trichlorofluoromethane
- 1,2,3-Trichlorpropane
- 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
- 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
- trans-1,2-Dichloroethene
- m-Xylene
- p-Xylene
- o-Xylene
- Vinyl Chloride
- Methyl-tert-butyl-ether.