ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION Contamination from organic compounds represents a significant problem both in water supplies and in industrial and other hazardous wastewaters. Studies conducted by the U.S. Environmen tal Protection Agency (EPA) between 1977 and 1982 found that 21% of the approximately 1000 drinking water systems sampled contained detectable levels of one or more volatile or synthetic organic compounds [1]. Many of these substances are suspected of being carcinogenic, and their occurrence in potable water causes serious concern. Additionally, organic compounds make up the majority of substances on the EPA priority pollutants list and include chlorinated solvents, petroleum products, phenols, and pesticides.
