A former fuel additive and soil fumigant that persists in groundwater.
In Florida, Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) was reported by 6 community water systems serving about 3,394 people. Every reported reading was at or below the federal legal limit. It was measured by 1,559 systems in all, so it was detected in 0% of the systems that tested for it.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Fountain View RV Park in Lee County, at 20% of it.
Where it comes from: Discharge from petroleum refineries; banned soil fumigant.
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California OEHHA PHG (2003)
Health effects the EPA associates with it: Problems with liver, stomach, reproductive system, or kidneys; increased cancer risk.
Water at or under the legal limit meets federal safety standards. A reading above a health goal is not the same as being unsafe, and health goals are set purely on health without regard to cost or treatability. Both are shown so the margin is visible either way.
These figures describe water as delivered by each utility, not what your home’s plumbing adds after it arrives. Informational; not a substitute for testing your own tap.