Leaking underground storage tanks can contaminate the groundwater. Since the 1980s, California leaking underground storage tanks have released millions of gallons of petroleum containing tertiary butyl alcohol into the subsurface. This compound was banned in early 2000 due to human health concerns. The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers tertiary butyl alcohol an animal carcinogen and a potential human carcinogen. California has not established a maximum contaminant level for tertiary butyl alcohol. (1) Based on the documented health hazards, a maximum contaminant level should be developed for tertiary butyl alcohol in California. (2) The California Water Resources Control Board’s “Low Threat Closure Policy”, which is a tool to evaluate closure of leaking underground storage tank sites, does not require regulators to consider tertiary butyl alcohol contamination in soil or groundwater in their closure review. This practice should be revisited based upon tertiary butyl alcohol’s toxicity data, its biotransformation from methyl tertiary butyl ether, and its stability in the environment. This review summarizes toxicity, sources, and environmental transformation of tertiary butyl alcohol, aims to raise awareness regarding the magnitude of the tertiary butyl alcohol problem in groundwater, and urges California regulators to develop more stringent protocols for tertiary butyl alcohol treatment. The nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards regulate and oversee cleanup at leaking underground storage tank sites in California. This study will directly impact Regional Water Quality Control Boards regulatory practices and will help provide a framework for developing monitoring and cleanup strategy for tertiary butyl alcohol around the world.

地下储罐泄漏会污染地下水。自1980年代以来，加利福尼亚泄漏的地下储罐已将数百万加仑的含有叔丁醇的石油释放到地下。由于人类健康问题，该化合物于2000年初被禁止使用。美国环境保护局认为叔丁醇是一种动物致癌物，也是一种潜在的人类致癌物。加利福尼亚州尚未确定叔丁醇的最大污染物含量。（1）根据已记录的健康危害，应为加利福尼亚的叔丁醇制定最大污染物水平。（2）加州水资源控制委员会的“低威胁关闭政策”，该工具可用于评估泄漏的地下储罐地点的关闭情况，不需要监管机构在关闭审查中考虑土壤或地下水中的叔丁醇污染。应根据叔丁醇的毒性数据，其从甲基叔丁醚的生物转化及其在环境中的稳定性来重新考虑这种做法。这篇综述总结了叔丁醇的毒性，来源和环境变化，旨在提高人们对地下水中叔丁醇问题严重性的认识，并敦促加利福尼亚州监管机构制定更严格的叔丁醇处理方案。加利福尼亚州的九个地区水质控制委员会负责监管和监督泄漏的地下储水罐场地的清理工作。