Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Bradley Waterworks

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.

 

33

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND60ND
2019ND50ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND90ND
2022ND50ND
2023ND40ND

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
2018-02-1218046000301ND
2018-05-2918151004301ND
2018-05-2918151004201ND
2018-08-1318228002702ND
2018-08-1318228002901ND
2018-10-1618291005301ND
2019-02-2519059000701ND
2019-05-1319136008101ND
2019-07-3119213001508ND
2019-07-3119213001601ND
2019-11-0519311002301ND
2020-01-2120023000501ND
2020-06-0220156007101ND
2020-08-1820233005901ND
2020-11-1720324004101ND
2021-02-0121035003801ND
2021-02-2321056002701ND
2021-04-1921111001301ND
2021-04-1921111001201ND
2021-04-1921111001102ND
2021-07-2621210008901ND
2021-07-2621210009002ND
2021-11-1621322000701ND
2021-11-1621322000601ND
2022-02-14O195617-VOC-1ND
2022-04-19O197087-VOC-1ND
2022-09-20O202009-VOC-1ND
2022-09-20O202008-VOC-1ND
2022-10-11O202728-VOC-1ND
2023-01-10O205157-VOC-1ND
2023-06-06O209570-VOC-1ND
2023-08-21O211612-VOC-1ND
2023-10-31O213672-VOC-1ND