Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Elba Water Works

Methylene chloride is a common industrial solvent used for paint stripping, vapor degreasing, printing, electronics manufacturing and cleaning. It causes cancer and liver damage in animal studies. Read More.

Surface and groundwater can be contaminated with methylene chloride from industrial releases and landfill leaching. The EPA considers methylene chloride likely carcinogenic to people. Long-term ingestion of drinking water with methylene chloride contamination can cause liver damage and cancer. Occupational exposure to methylene chloride and other solvents has been linked with increased risk of miscarriage. Birth defects have also been observed in studies of laboratory animals exposed to methylene chloride during pregnancy.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

17

Samples

1

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

1

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND10ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND50ND
20233.00 ppb51ND - 15.0 ppb

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 4 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 4 ppb for dichloromethane (methylene chloride) was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 5 ppb

The legal limit for dichloromethane, established in 1992, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-10-1918100572-001AND
2019-03-2719030659-001AND
2019-03-2719030659-002AND
2019-03-2719030659-003AND
2019-11-0520128986001_IVOCND
2020-11-1720180408001_IVOCND
2021-12-1035683528001_IVOCND
2022-03-2935706621002_IVOCND
2022-03-2935706621001_IVOCND
2022-09-2235748613002_IVOCND
2022-11-1735760586001_IVOCND
2022-12-1535766914001_IVOCND
2023-01-1935773664001_IVOC15.0 ppb
2023-04-0635790837001_IVOCND
2023-09-2135829187001_IVOCND
2023-10-1935835674001_IVOCND
2023-10-1935835674002_IVOCND