title: Investigation of methyl tert-butyl ether levels in river-, ground-, and sewage-waters analyzed using a purge-and-trap interfaced to a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer.
abstract: River water collected from 27 sites in 21 rivers, groundwater from 66 sites in 34 cities, and 2 sewage plants in the Niigata Prefecture, Japan (total 301 samples) were analyzed for methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) using an improved purge-and-trap-GC-MS method. The amount of MTBE found in water samples from the 27 river sites ranged from 0.003 to 5.3 microg l(-1). MTBE was found in all 27 sites during winter but it was found at only 9 sites and 14 sites, respectively, during the summer. MTBE was found most frequently (in 21 sites) at levels ranging from 0.003 to 0.009 microg l(-1) during February. The highest levels of MTBE were always found in the samples collected from the same site. The amount of MTBE found in sewage water samples ranged from <0.003 to 0.025 microgl(-1). No significant differences were observed between the amounts of MTBE recovered from inflow and outflow waters. Relatively high levels (0.02-0.034 microg l(-1) ) of MTBE were found in January at two sites, which were located on the upper course of the Shinano River. MTBE levels ranged from 0.004 to 0.035 microgl(-l) and from 0.005 to 0.041 microgl(-1) at the mouths of the Shinano River and Agano River, respectively. The levels of MTBE in groundwater collected from 66 sites in 34 cities in Niigata Prefecture ranged from <0.003 to 5.9 microg l(-1).
authors.affiliation: Niigata Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 314-1 Sowa, Niigata, Niigata 950-2144, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ibaraki
authors.forename: Kuniaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibamoto
mesh_terms: D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D007564:Japan; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D012621:Seasons; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D012722:Sewage; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014867:Water; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether