What's In Your Water Wednesday: Ethylbenzene

Over the past couple of weeks we've been talking about the BTEX compounds. As you know, if you've been following the blog, BTEX stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. These are volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short. That means they can change from liquid to gas states very easily. This makes BTEX and other VOCs more hazardous pollutants because they can contaminate both the air and water supplies. BTEX is naturally occurring in crude oil, as well as used in some fracking fluid mixtures, which means there is an increased number of chances for it to enter our environment. While a small amount of these chemicals is present in the atmosphere, exposure to them can be very dangerous in larger amounts.

We've already taken a closer look at benzene and toluene, so today we're moving on to ethylbenzene.

Ethylbenzene is a highly flammable, colorless liquid that smells like gasoline. It is mainly used in the production of styrene, which is another organic liquid that is a building block of plastic. Ethylbenzene is also used as a solvent for paints and coatings and added to fuel.

This VOC is considered a hazardous air pollutant and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Short-term exposure through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact results in respiratory effects such as sore throat, constricted chest, and dizziness. Long-term or overexposure could lead to kidney and liver damage and possibly affect the blood. It is not certain whether the chemical causes cancer, but it has been shown that ethylbenzene exposure leads to tumors in animals such as mice and rats. Animal studies have also shown adverse effects on fetal development.



If you are concerned about water contamination due to fracking activity near your home, visit www.fractest.com to find out how you can get a homeowner report. The FracTest Platform Blog aims to educate our readers about the potential effects of these contaminants. Thanks for reading, and be sure to subscribe!