Assessing human exposure and odor detection during showering with crude 4-(methylcyclohexyl)methanol (MCHM) contaminated drinking water

Science of the Total Environment

Volumn 538, Issue , 2015, Pages 298-305

  Sain, Amanda E ^a   Dietrich, Andrea M ^a,b   Smiley, Elizabeth ^a   Gallagher, Daniel L ^a  

^a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University   (United States)

^b VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

4 (Methylcyclohexyl)methanol; Exposure; Henry's law; Ingestion; Inhalation; Odor

Indexed keywords

AIR NAVIGATION; AIR QUALITY; CHROMATOGRAPHY; GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY; INGESTION (ENGINES); IONIZATION OF GASES; ISOMERS; METHANOL; ODORS;

AQUEOUS CONCENTRATIONS; CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER; EXPOSURE; HENRY'S LAW; HENRY'S LAW CONSTANT; INHALATION; ODOR THRESHOLD CONCENTRATIONS; PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTY;

POTABLE WATER;

4 (METHYLCYCLOHEXYL)METHANOL; CARBOXYLIC ACID DERIVATIVE; DRINKING WATER; METHANOL DERIVATIVE; METHYL 4 METHYLCYCLOHEXANECARBOXYLATE; UNCLASSIFIED DRUG; 4-METHYLCYCLOHEXANEMETHANOL; CYCLOHEXANE DERIVATIVE; WATER POLLUTANT;

ASSESSMENT METHOD; CONCENTRATION (COMPOSITION); CRUDE OIL; DRINKING WATER; METHANOL; ODOR; OIL SPILL; POLLUTION EXPOSURE; WATER POLLUTION;

AIR POLLUTION; ARTICLE; BATH; CONCENTRATION (PARAMETERS); ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; FLUID INTAKE; GAS ANALYSIS PARAMETERS; GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY; HENRY LAW CONSTANTS; HUMAN; INHALATION; ODOR; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SPILLAGE; VAPORIZATION; VOLATILIZATION; WATER CONTAMINATION; WATER TEMPERATURE; ANALYSIS; CHEMISTRY; GOVERNMENT; RISK ASSESSMENT; SKIN CARE; STATISTICS AND NUMERICAL DATA; UNITED STATES; WATER POLLUTANT;

UNITED STATES; WEST VIRGINIA;

CYCLOHEXANES; DRINKING WATER; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; ODORS; RISK ASSESSMENT; SKIN CARE; UNITED STATES; UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY; WATER POLLUTANTS, CHEMICAL;

EID: 84939816683     PISSN: 00489697     EISSN: 18791026     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.050     Document Type: Article

References (42)

1. Boleda M.R., Díaz A., Martí I., Martín-Alonso J., Matia L., Romero J., Ventura F. A review of taste and odour events in Barcelona's drinking water area (1990-2004). Water Sci. Technol. 2007, 55(5):217-221.
2. Capel P.D., Giger W., Reichert P., Wanner O. Accidental input of pesticides into the Rhine River. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1988, 22:992-997.
3. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Summary Report of Short-term Screening Level Calculation and Analysis of Available Animal Studies for MCHM 2014, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, (Available: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/chemical/MCHM/westvirginia2014/pdf/MCHM-Summary-Report.pdf, accessed 31 October 2014).
4. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Disaster Response and Recovery Needs of Communities Affected by the Elk River Chemical Spill, West Virginia 2014, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, (Available: http://www.dhhr.wv.gov/News/2014/Documents/WVCASPERReport.pdf, accessed 5 June 2015).
5. Cooper W.J. Responding to crisis: the West Virginia chemical spill. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48:3095-3095.
6. Dietrich A.M., Burlingame G.A. Critical review and rethinking of USEPA secondary standards for maintaining organoleptic quality of drinking water. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49:708-720.
7. Dietrich A.M., Thomas A., Zhao Y., Smiley E., Shanaiah N., Ahart M., et al. Partitioning, aqueous solubility, and dipole moment data for cis- and trans-(4-methylcyclohexyl)methanol, principal contaminants of the West Virginia chemical spill. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2015, 2:123-127.
8. Eastman Chemical Company Material Safety Data Sheet for Crude MCHM Version 2.0 2011, (revision date 8/18/2011, Kingsport, TN, USA).
9. Foreman W.T., Rose D.L., Chambers D.B., Crain A.S., Murtagh L.K., Thakellapalli H., et al. Determination of (4-methylcyclohexyl)methanol isomers by heated purge-and-trap GC/MS in water samples from the 2014 Elk River, West Virginia, chemical spill. Chemosphere 2015, 131:217-224.
10. Gallagher D.L., Phetxumphou K., Smiley E., Dietrich A.M. Tale of two isomers: Complexities of human odor perception for cis- and trans-4-methylcyclohexane methanol from the chemical spill in West Virginia. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49:1319-1327.
11. Hine J., Mookerjee P.K. The intrinsic hydrophilic character of organic compounds. Correlations in terms of structural contributions. J. Org. Chem. 1975, 40:292-298.
12. Hrudey S., Hrudy E. A nose for trouble - the role of off-flavours in assuring safe drinking water. Water Sci. Technol. 2007, 55(5):239-247.
13. Kim E., Little J.C., Chiu N. Estimating exposure to chemical contaminants in drinking water. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2004, 38:1799-1806.
14. Knappe D., Viswakumar A. Development of an Analytical Method for Taste and Odor Compounds Commonly Found in Drinking Water Sources UNC-WRRI-422 2011, Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina, (Available: http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/dr/bitstream/1840.4/8175/3/NC-WRRI-422.pdf, accessed 25 June 2015).
15. Koch W. Oil spills into Yellowstone River, possibly polluting drinking water; the spill, area's second in four years, won't affect the upstream Yellowstone National Park Available:, (accessed 27 April 2015). http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2015/01/150120-oil-spills-into-yellowstone-river/.
16. Lan J., Hu M., Gao C., Alshawabkeh A., Gu A.Z. Toxicity assessment of 4-methyl-1-cyclohexanemethanol and its metabolites in response to a recent chemical spill in West Virginia, USA. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49:6284-6293.
17. Little J.C. Applying the two-resistance theory to contaminant volatilization in showers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1992, 26:1341-1349.
18. Manuel J. Crisis and emergency risk communication: lessons from the Elk River spill. Environ. Health Perspect. 2014, 122:A214.
19. Maunz, S., 2014. Three Kanawha schools close early for water quality issues. Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV) 6 February.
20. McGuire M.J., Suffet I.H., Rosen J. Consumer panel estimates of odor thresholds for crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol. J. Am. Water Works Assoc. 2014, 106:72-82.
21. Meylan W.M., Howard P.H. Bond contribution method for estimating Henry's Law Constants. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 1991, 10:1283-1293.
22. NTP (National Toxicology Program) West Virginia chemical spill: NTP research project plan Available:, (accessed 4 June 2015). http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/results/areas/wvspill/project/wvresearchprojectplan_summary.html.
23. Ömür-Özbek P., Dietrich A.M. Determination of temperature-dependent Henry's Law Constants of odorous contaminants and their application to human perception. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39:3957-3963.
24. Ömür-Özbek P., Gallagher D.L., Dietrich A.M. Determining human exposure and sensory detection of odorous compounds released during showering. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45:468-473.
25. R Development Core Team R: A Language And Environment for Statistical Computing 2011, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.
26. Robbins G.A., Wang S., Stuart J.D. Using the static headspace method to determine Henry's Law Constants. Anal. Chem. 1993, 65:3113-3118.
27. Romero R.C., Ventura F., Caixach J., Rivera J., Godé L.X., Niñerola J.M. Identification of 1,3-dioxanes and 1,3-dioxolanes as malodorous compounds at trace levels in river water, groundwater, and tap water. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1998, 36:206-216.
28. TCI America Material Safety Data Sheet: 4-Methyl-1-cyclohexanemethanol, Version 1.0 2006.
29. U.S.Coast Guard National Response Center 2014 reports Available:, (accessed 7 May 2015). http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/default.aspx.
30. U.S.EPA (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency) National secondary drinking water regulations. EPA 570/9-76-000 1979, (July 1979. Washington, DC, USA).
31. U.S.EPA (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency) Estimation Programs Interface Suite™ for Microsoft® Windows, v 4.11 2012, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA.
32. U.S.EPA (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency) EPA On-line Tools for Site Assessment Calculation Available:, (accessed 9/26/2014 2014). http://www.epa.gov/athens/learn2model/part-two/onsite/estdiffusion-ext.html.
33. U.S.EPA (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency) Derivation of an Extrapolated Short-term Inhalation Screening Level for 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol(MCHM - cas# 34885-03-5) 2014, Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Centernfor Environmental Assessment (NCEA), Superfund Health Risk Technical Support Center (STSC), Washington, D.C.
34. Ventura F., Quintana J., Gómez M., Velo-Cid M. Identification of alkyl-methoxypyrazines as the malodorous compounds in water supplies from Northwest Spain. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 2010, 85(2):160-164. 10.1007/s00128-010-0053-6.
35. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Retail Food Establishment Regulations for the Enforcement of the Virginia Food Laws 2010, (Richmond, Virginia). 2010 edition.
36. Wang G.-S., Deng Y.-C., Lin T.-F. Cancer risk assessment from trihalomethanes in drinking water. Sci. Total Environ. 2007, 387(1-3):86-95.
37. Whelton A.J., McMillan L., Connell M., Kelley K.M., Gill J.P., White K.D., et al. Residential tap water contamination following the Freedom Industries chemical spill: perceptions, water quality, and health impacts. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49:813-823.
38. WVBPH (West Virginia Bureau for Public Health), ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry) Elk River chemical spill health effects: findings of emergency department record review Available:, (accessed 16 October 2014). http://www.wvdhhr.org/Elk%20River%20Chemical%20Spill%20Health%20Effects%20-%20Findings%20of%20Emergency%20Department%20Record%20Review.pdf.
39. WVDHSEM (West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management) Initial sampling results Available:, (accessed 5 May 2015). http://www.dhsem.wv.gov/west%20virginia%20public%20water%20supply%20study%20commission/documents/operation%20log%2018jan1800%20various1.pdf.
40. Young W.F., Horth H., Crane R., Ogden T., Arnott M. Taste and odour threshold concentrations of potential potable water contaminants. Water Res. 1996, 30(2):331-340. 10.1016/0043-1354(95)00173-5.
41. Zhang X., Chen C., Lin P., Hou A., Niu Z., Wang J. Emergency drinking water treatment during source water pollution accidents in china: origin analysis, framework and technologies. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45:161-167.
42. Zhou Y., Benson J.M., Irvin C., Irshad H., Cheng Y.S. Particle size distribution and inhalation dose of shower water under selected operating conditions. Inhal. Toxicol. 2007, 19:333-342.