Chemical Contaminants - HALs and Chemical Fact Sheets

Chemical Fact Sheets and list of HALs

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Health Advisory Level (HAL)s are developed when a chemical is found in drinking water and no regulatory standard (MCL) exists for the chemical. The HAL concentration of a chemical in drinking water is a value that, based on the available data, is virtually certain not to cause adverse human health effects if consumed over a lifetime. HALs provide guidance for the public and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the potential for these chemicals to cause harm to humans.

The maximum contaminant level (MCL) is a standard established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It represents an acceptable level of a chemical under specified conditions that ensures the safety of a public drinking water supply. MCLs are used by DEP to regulate the  level of chemicals allowed in drinking water.

Acronyms used: HAL = Health Advisory Level MCL = Maximum Contaminant Level

 Florida's Maximum Contaminant/Health Advisory Levels (pdf<1mb opens in new window)

Chemical Fact Sheets
Following are fact sheets with information on selected chemicals.  All are pdfs <1mb that open in a new window.

1,1-DCE
1,2 Dichloropropane
1,4-Dioxane
Arsenic
Benzene
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate
Dibromochloropropane
Dieldrin
EDB
Iron
Lead
Manganese
MTBE
Nitrate
Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
Sodium
Tetrachloroethene
Thallium
Toluene
Trichloroethene
Total Trihalomethanes (THMs)
Radionuclides
Vinyl Chloride
Xylenes

*Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF).  The free Adobe Reader may be required to view these files.