How Wildfires Contaminate Drinking Water with VOCs & How to Stay Safe

In areas affected by fires, there are often dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in public water systems. This article covers why these VOCs contaminate the water supply, how they affect your health, and what you can do about it.

 

What are VOCs?

 

VOCs are not a single chemical but a group of compounds that evaporate easily into the air or dissolve in water. These substances are widely used in various industries and are common in daily life. One example is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a material frequently used in plumbing pipes and fittings.

 

How do VOCs get into water supplies during fires?

 

VOCs can enter drinking water during wildfires in two main ways: through thermal damage to plastic pipes and from smoke exposure.

 

Heating Pipes:

Many water supplies use pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In laboratory experiments where they heated these pipes, these VOCs were released into the water. These experiments that up to 60 different VOCs were released when raised to wildfire temperatures.

 

Smoke and Fire:

During wildfires, VOCs may be introduced into the public water supply by smoke or by firefighting chemicals. Many of these firefighting chemicals will contain VOCs or interact with other compounds in the environment to form VOCs. Smoke may also contain these compounds and will settle in the nearby environment, contaminating the ground and water sources. This ground contamination can lead to ground water contamination as well.

 

How VOCs negatively affect health

 

According to the EPA, VOCs in your drinking water can have a variety of negative health effects. These include:

  • Carcinogenic effects (cancer risk)
  • Liver damage
  • Kidney damage
  • Spleen and Stomach issues
  • Nervous system damage
  • Reproductive issues
  • Immune system issues

 

There are also less severe effects of VOCs in the water supply such as throat irritation if consumed or eye and skin irritation if used for washing.

 

How do you know if your water contains VOCs contamination?

 

The only way to know if you have VOCs in your drinking water is by having it tested at a lab. The Safe Home VOCs in Drinking Water Test Kit makes this process easy. Once you purchase the kit, we send you everything needed to collect a water sample and ship it back to our EPA-certified lab—shipping is free both ways.

After we receive your kit, you’ll get an easy-to-read report explaining everything you need to know about each of the 83 VOCs we test for. We also have US-based water testing experts to help you before, during, and after testing.

To help residents of California after the wildfires, we are offering 25% off of our VOCs in Water Test Kit with Code: CAwildfirerelief ,only eligible if shipped to California.

 

How to Treat your Water for VOCs Contamination

 

If your water tests positive for high levels of VOCs, take immediate action to protect yourself and your family:

  1. Stop using the water for drinking, cooking, making baby formula, or feeding pets. Use bottled water until the issue is resolved.
  2. Consider filtration options:
    • Whole-house filtration systems (e.g., carbon filters) can remove VOCs from all household water but may be costly.
    • Point-of-use filtration systems, such as reverse osmosis filters, are more affordable but only treat water at a specific tap.

Consult a local water treatment professional to explore filtration options that fit your needs.

 

 

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