View page in Spanish (Español)

Past exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in municipal water are not expected to harm public health, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in its final public health assessment for the San Germán Ground Water Contamination site in San Germán, PR. Low levels of VOCs were detected in three municipal drinking water supply wells from 1999-2006. In 2006, VOC levels exceeded drinking water standards and the wells were shut down. No exposures are occurring today because the affected wells are shut down.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), working with the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (EQB), has not yet identified the source or extent of the groundwater contamination. ATSDR needs more information to:

• assess potential risks from exposure near source areas and use of private well water, and
• determine whether vapors from the groundwater could be building up in homes in the area.

ATSDR recommends that EPA and/or EQB

• continue efforts to identify the source of the VOC contamination,
• characterize the extent of the contamination, and
• take actions to address and prevent further groundwater contamination.

A draft of this report was available for public comment from January 17—April 16, 2012. No comments were received. The final report is available for review at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/HCPHA.asp?State=PR. A copy of the report also has been placed at the Biblioteca Pública, Calle Padres Agustinos, #11, in San Germán.

For more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects due to exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.