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Gasoline in Water Analysis

Gasoline can contaminate water supplies through spills from transportation, leaky storage units and improper consumer disposal. Human health can be affected by exposure to contaminated water and, even at low levels, gasoline can affect the taste and odor of water.

  1. Function

    • Gasoline can be detected in water by testing for chemicals of oxygenates, natural compounds of petroleum. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are known to cause cancer, skin irritations, respiratory problems and central nervous system depression. These chemicals can be absorbed through skin, inhaled and ingested from using or drinking contaminated water.

    Method

    • Gasoline in water can be analyzed through a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for volatile organic analysis. Through GC-MS, the sample is vaporized to separate the sample into individual, pure chemicals, which are then identified and measured. The results are sent to a mass spectrum that measures the mass and abundance of individual chemicals in the sample.

    Considerations

    • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a secondary limit on MTBE of .02 to .04 parts per million (ppm) in water, however states can set a lower limit. Benzene has a maximum contaminant limit of .005 ppm, toluene limit of 1 ppm, ethylbenzene limit of .7 ppm and total xylenes have limit of 10 ppm. As of 2010, there are no federal limits on other individual oxygenates such as diisopropyl ether (DIPE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA).

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