PERMISSIBLE LIMITS FOR METALS

METALS LIMITS
METAL

Primary
Drinking Water
Standard
1
(MCL) mg/l

Aluminum (Al)

Hazardous
Waste
Screening
Criteria
3
(TCLP) mg/kg

TCLP
Hazardou
s Waste
4
Limit
mg/l

0.05-0.20

Arsenic (As)

0.05

Antimony (Sb)

0.006

Barium (Ba)

Secondary
Drinking
Water
2
Standard mg/l

2.0

Common
Range
in 5
Soils
mg/kg

Livestoc
k
Water 6
Quality
mg/l

10,000300,000

5.0

1-50;10
1-40

0.5

100

5.0

2000

100.0

100-10
3,000

Surface
Water 7
Quality
mg/l

Land
Application
of Sewage
8
Sludge ppm

0.04

75

1.0

Beryillium
(Be)

0.004

Cadmium (Cd)

0.005

20

1.0

0.01-0.7

0.5

0.02

85

Chromium (Cr)

0.1

100

5.0

11,000;10
5-3,000

1.0

0.05

3,000

Copper (Cu)

1.3

1.0

2-100

0.5

1.0

4,300

0.3

7,000550,000
0.05

0.10

840

0.01-0.3

0.01

0.002

57

5-500

1.0
0.1

Iron (Fe)
Lead (Pb)

0.015

Manganese
(Mn)
Mercury (Hg)

100

5.0

0.05
0.002

20-3,000
4

0.2

Nickel (Ni)
Selenium (Se)

0.05

Silver (Ag)
Thallium (Tl)
Zinc (Zn)

0.1

2-200

20

1.0

0.1-2.0

100

5.0

0.01-5.0

420
0.01

100

0.05

0.002
5.0

Compiled by: Brent L. Balentine 7/95 (Direction of Everett Wilson)

10-300

25.0

5.0

Revised by: Everett Wilson and Carl Solomon

2/02
1 MCL-Maximum Contaminant Level for drinking water from a public water supply system. From Current Drinking Water Standards, E.P.A.
Office of Water .
2 Secondary Standards for drinking water from a public water supply system are suggested levels only and are unenforceable. From
Current Drinking Water Standards, E.P.A. Office of Water.
3 Hazardous Waste Screening Criteria (TCLP) refers to limits that are allowed in solid waste or soil for disposal in a landfill. Limits
developed by ODEQ under authority given by Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, SW-846 Manual, Section
8.4, E.P.A. Office of Solid Waste.
4 TCLP - Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure is a test to determine the mobility of contaminants in solid wastes or soils. These
are the limits allowed to leach out of soil or solid waste in a landfill. From 40 CFR 261.24.
5 Naturally occurring in the soil. Limits taken from Lindsay, 1979.
6 Levels of metals in water suitable for cattle or other livestock. Summarized from E.P.A., Council on Agriculture, Science and
Technology (CAST), and National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
7 Metals allowed in surface waters having the designated beneficial use of Public and Private Water Supplies. From OAC 785-45-5-10,
Oklahomas Water Quality Standards approved by Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB), effective July 2001.
8 Metal concentration limits allowed in the use or disposal of sewage sludge. From 40 CFR 503.13.
9 Copper and Lead have action levels in drinking water standards instead of MCL's. From Current Drinking Water Standards, E.P.A.
Office of Water.
10 Naturally occurring in the soil.

From Deuel and Holliday, 1994, Soil Remediation for the Petroleum Extraction Industry.