A Survey of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Concentration in Water Resources and Its Control procedures

Background and Annually high volumes of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) are used as organic solvents in various chemical and fuels as a substitute for lead. These compounds enter the environment after being used and pollute the environmental sources such as surface water and groundwater. Exposures to this organic matter could have acute and chronic influences on human, including nervous system reactions, nausea, and amnesia. Also, the carcinogen formaldehyde is produced after its decomposition in the body. This systematic review investigated the studies carried out in Iran and other countries on the concentration of MTBE. In this study, all papers in national and international databases were examined including Iran Medex, Iran Doc, SID, Google Scholar, Science Direct, World Health Organization, and Pubmed. The keywords used included Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether, surface water, and groundwater. Overall, 289 articles were retrieved of which 29 were selected after reviewing the titles and abstracts. We found that the concentration of MTBE in ground and surface water were higher than Environmental standards of America (36% and 57%, respectively).The most contaminated samples were taken from North America, Spain and Iran. According to the results some levels of MTBE were detected in water resources in many countries. Due to the high volume of fuel consumption high levels of MTBE enter the environment, so it is essential to take administrative measurements to prevent and reduce the level of such compounds into the environment. Moreover, continuous monitoring of water resources should be carried out, especially in the resources exposed to pollution (such as oil refineries and areas close to gas stations).