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Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane is a used in metal degreasing and as intermediary in chemical manufacturing . Potential health impacts associated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane include cancer, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, and neurotoxicity.

Sources of 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane:

Industry

An Environmental Working Group analysis of 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane tests reported by 25,442 public water suppliers in 37 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 441 thousand people in 27 communities drank water contaminated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane. 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

441,482 People drinking water contaminated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane 27 Communities served water contaminated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane

Table. 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane Exposure by State

441 thousand Americans in 9 states were served tap water contaminated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane contamination
	Systems	Population
North Carolina	8	130,507
Tennessee	2	123,401
California	2	55,950
Minnesota	9	55,914
New Jersey	1	47,000
Pennsylvania	2	26,160
Washington	1	1,700
New York	1	850
New Mexico	1	0
Total	27	441,482

Table. The most polluted communities

441,000 Americans in 27 communities were served tap water contaminated with 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Gateway Mhp Fayetteville, NC	315	1 of 1	4.21 ppb (4.21 to 4.21 ppb)
2	Lyons Falls Village Lyons Falls, NY	850	1 of 2	0.75 ppb (0 to 1.5 ppb)
3	Cobb Mountain Water Company Cobb, CA	50	1 of 1	0.62 ppb (0.62 to 0.62 ppb)
4	Second South Cheatham Utility District Kingston Springs, TN	7,976	1 of 5	0.26 ppb (0 to 1.3 ppb)
5	Pawc Blue Mountain Division Wyomissing, PA	20,160	1 of 2	0.25 ppb (0 to 0.5 ppb)
6	Moab Irrigation District #20 Newman Lake, WA	1,700	1 of 2	0.25 ppb (0 to 0.5 ppb)
7	Ski Country Sapphire, NC	150	1 of 3	0.23 ppb (0 to 0.7 ppb)
8	Manheim Borough Water Department Manheim, PA	6,000	1 of 20	0.2 ppb (0 to 4 ppb)
9	City of Siler City Water Siler City, NC	6,960	1 of 5	0.17 ppb (0 to 0.87 ppb)
10	Hector Hector, MN	1,167	1 of 2	0.15 ppb (0 to 0.3 ppb)

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Health based limits for 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane

Health Limit	Limit Value	Limit Description
One in ten thousand (10-4) Cancer Risk	100 ppb	The concentration of a chemical in drinking water corresponding to an excess estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 10,000. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 1-day exposure	2000 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for up to one day of exposure. The One-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Children's health-based limit for 10-day exposure	2000 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic effects for up to ten days of exposure. The Ten-Day health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is typically set to protect a 10-kg child consuming 1 liter of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Lifetime health-based limit, non-cancer risk	70 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for a lifetime of exposure. The Lifetime health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is based on exposure for a a 70-kg adult consuming 2 liters of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Drinking Water Equivalent Level	1000 ppb	A lifetime exposure concentration protective of adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects, that assumes all of the exposure to a contaminant is from drinking water. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Testing Summary for 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane

Water suppliers report an average of 0.6 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane tests per year. 14,309 water suppliers failed to report any 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane (1998-2003): 25,442 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.6 per year

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane Violations

Because 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, and any level is legal in tap water.