Consumer panel estimates of odor thresholds for crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol

On Jan. 9, 2014, a spill of “crude” 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) into the Elk River in West Virginia contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. The crude MCHM caused an intense licorice odor in the drinking water that supplied the area in and around Charleston, W.Va. A sensitive analyti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal - American Water Works Association 2014-10, Vol.106 (10), p.E445-E458
Main Authors: McGuire, Michael J., Suffet, I.H. (Mel), Rosen, Jeffrey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
chemical spill
consumer panel
Contamination
Cough
Drinking water
Geometric mean
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Isomers
Licorice
Mathematical tables
Odor
odor objection
odor recognition
odor threshold
Odors
Potable water
Rivers
Spills
Tap water
taste and odor
Threshing
Water consumption
Water Contamination
Water pollution
Water supply
West Virginia
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Summary:On Jan. 9, 2014, a spill of “crude” 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) into the Elk River in West Virginia contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. The crude MCHM caused an intense licorice odor in the drinking water that supplied the area in and around Charleston, W.Va. A sensitive analytical method developed by a commercial laboratory was used to verify the concentrations of crude MCHM presented to a consumer panel selected using specific criteria. The method used for the panel studies was ASTM E679-04, which has been used to determine other odor thresholds in water. The odor threshold and odor recognition concentrations for crude MCHM in water were estimated by the consumer panel to be 0.55 and 7.4 µg/L, respectively. Two estimates of the odor objection concentration were 7.7 and 8.8 µg/L.
ISSN:0003-150X
1551-8833
DOI:10.5942/jawwa.2014.106.0129