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CALIFORNIA REGI' ��L WATER QUALITY CONTROL.BOAR Cal/EPA <br /> CENTRAL VALLEY)!'tGION <br /> 3443 Routier Road,Sane A <br /> Sa===to, CA 95827-3098 <br /> ~'• �� <br /> Phone(9I6)255-3000 ' <br /> FAX(9I 255-3015 <br /> Paco Witsam,Governor <br /> 18 July 1997 <br /> To Whom It May Concern <br /> ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR OXYGENATE COMPOUNDS USED IN CALIFORNIA <br /> GASOLINE- EPA METHOD 8260 <br /> At a recent meeting at the Deuartnent of Health Services in Berkeley,the statewide analytical <br /> methods committee for establishing analytical TFH and additive standards,was informed that <br /> oxygenate compounds, other than MTBE,have been and are being added to California <br /> gasoline which may constitute a threat to 0 oundwaters. The List includes,in order of <br /> analytical identincation: <br /> 1. Methanol <br /> 2. Ethanol <br /> 3. Tertiary Butanol <br /> A. MTBE <br /> 5. Di-isopropyl ether(DIPE) <br /> 6. Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (EIRE) <br /> 7. Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether(TAME) <br /> The 5rst three are alcohols and the latter four are ether compounds. Ethanol has been used for <br /> several years in California. MIKE, as you know,has been used as an octane enhancer additive <br /> since the late 1970s and is now used at a higher percentage as an oxygenate in gasoline. Since <br /> 1995,TAIY E,manufactured by Chevron,has been added to California fuels. DIPE has been <br /> used on the East Coast;butzece+ntly has been found in Southern California ground water(May <br /> 1997). To date,we have no information regarding the use of EIRE in California_ <br /> The introduction of these additives present analytical problems for laboratories because of the <br /> number of analyses required and internal interference_ For instance,T_AlvM is difficult to <br /> distinguish because it co-elutes with benzene in the EPA-8020 analytical method commonly <br /> used today. Therefore,the analytical methods committee concurred that EPA-8260 is required <br /> to determine which compound has been uses. This analytical method will likdy increase the <br /> cost of sample analysis;but,until another comprehensive analytical method is developed that <br /> can distinguish between the compounds,EPA 8260 is the single,provisional method of <br /> analysis for these compounds. <br /> This problem is further compounded because the oil refineries ship gasoline around the state <br /> and then trade gasoline between graphic mss. For instance,if gasoline is needed-iv..the <br /> San Francisco Bay area by Shell,Shen will obtain some gasoline from,say,Chevron in the Bay <br /> area and, in exchange, Chevron will receive some Shell gasoline in Southern California. The <br /> R—yded Paver Our mm=n is:a preserve and meaner the?ualay of Cabybrnies water resater=and <br /> enstae tier proper allo—In and effrdent=e far the benefit of prwam and pa:o-e gvx& dant, <br />