Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Vinyl chloride

Cook Springs Water Authority

NOTE: Cook Springs Water Authority purchases water from Odenville which is required to test for vinyl chloride. Sample information shown below was taken by Odenville.

Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen used for production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Discharges from plastics manufacturing can contaminate drinking water with vinyl chloride. Read More.

Exposure to vinyl chloride increases the risk of cancer and can damage the liver and nervous system. The California public health goal of 0.05 parts per billion, set to protect against cancer, is 40 times lower than the amount allowed by the federal government, which is a Maximum Contaminant Level of 2 parts per billion.

Plastic pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated PVC (CPVC) are widely used for drinking water distribution lines and internal plumbing, raising concern about vinyl chloride contamination of drinking water. A study published in 2011 by Ryan Walter of Cornell University School of Civil and Environmental Engineering suggested that small amounts of vinyl chloride can leach from PVC pipes. Vinyl chloride can also form in the pipes as a result of water disinfection with chlorine.

In an assessment completed in 2000, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated that drinking water is not a significant source of exposure to vinyl chloride for the general population.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

54

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND10ND
2020ND10ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND10ND
2023ND10ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.05 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.05 ppb for vinyl 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): 2 ppb

The legal limit for vinyl chloride, established in 1987, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to vinyl chloride exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

NOTE: Cook Springs Water Authority purchases water from Odenville which is required to test for vinyl chloride. Sample information shown below was taken by Odenville.

Date Lab ID Result
2018-02-121802-00225-4ND
2018-02-121802-00225-7ND
2018-02-231802-00412-2ND
2018-04-021804-00026-16AND
2018-04-021804-00026-12AND
2018-08-141808-00215-004ND
2018-08-141808-00215-007ND
2018-11-151811-00326-003ND
2018-11-151811-00326-006ND
2018-11-151811-00326-008ND
2019-02-111902-00119-003ND
2019-02-111902-00119-006ND
2019-02-111902-00119-010ND
2019-05-131905-00211-014ND
2019-05-131905-00211-018ND
2019-08-151908-00227-005ND
2019-08-151908-00227-008ND
2019-11-121911-00174-001ND
2019-11-121911-00174-002ND
2019-11-121911-00174-004ND
2019-11-121911-00174-006ND
2019-11-121911-00174-009ND
2019-11-121911-00174-012ND
2019-11-121911-0074-005ND
2020-02-122002-00224-004ND
2020-02-122002-00224-009ND
2020-02-122002-00224-012ND
2020-05-112005-00172-010ND
2020-05-112005-00172-014ND
2020-08-102008-00136-008AND
2020-08-102008-00136-011AND
2020-10-202010-00131-001AND
2020-10-202010-00313-004AND
2020-10-202010-00313-007AND
2021-02-082102-00117-001AND
2021-02-082102-00117-004AND
2021-02-082102-00117-007BND
2021-05-102105-00143-010AND
2021-05-102105-00143-014AND
2021-08-112108-00215-004ND
2021-08-112108-00215-007ND
2022-01-112201-00155-001ND
2022-01-112201-00155-006ND
2022-01-112201-00155-003ND
2022-08-182208-00379-003ND
2022-11-142211-00276-001ND
2022-11-142211-00276-002ND
2022-11-142211-00276-003ND
2022-11-142211-00276-004ND
2023-02-132302-00274-003ND
2023-02-132302-00274-007ND
2023-08-152308-00319-006ND
2023-11-162311-00366-001ND
2023-11-162311-00366-002ND