Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)

Fcwwd #41/shaver Lake

Dry cleaning chemical tetrachloroethylene, or perc, can cause cancer. It pollutes soil and groundwater due to emissions from dry cleaning facilities, and automotive, metalworking and other industries. Read More.

The EPA considers tetrachloroethylene a likely human carcinogen. It has been linked with increased incidence of lung, breast and colon cancers. Tetrachloroethylene also damages the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. The California public health goal of 0.06 parts per billion, set to protect against cancer, is 80 times lower than the amount allowed by the federal government, which is a Maximum Contaminant Level of 5 parts per billion.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

35

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND30ND
2021ND160ND
2022ND150ND
2023ND10ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.06 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.06 ppb for tetrachloroethylene 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 tetrachloroethylene, established in 1991, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit does not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to tetrachloroethylene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2020-05-06CA1010017_047_047-202005061050ND
2020-05-06CA1010017_048_048-202005060920ND
2020-05-06CA1010017_049_049-202005061025ND
2021-03-08CA1010017_001_001-202103081300ND
2021-03-08CA1010017_009_009-202103081140ND
2021-04-05CA1010017_006_006-202104050900ND
2021-04-05CA1010017_008_008-202104051100ND
2021-04-05CA1010017_004_004-202104051120ND
2021-04-06CA1010017_012_012-202104061300ND
2021-04-06CA1010017_011_011-202104061245ND
2021-04-06CA1010017_042_042-202104061230ND
2021-04-12CA1010017_014_014-202104121400ND
2021-04-12CA1010017_015_015-202104121345ND
2021-04-13CA1010017_062_062-202104131300ND
2021-04-13CA1010017_034_034-202104131155ND
2021-04-14CA1010017_005_005-202104141326ND
2021-04-14CA1010017_033_033-202104141300ND
2021-04-19CA1010017_036_036-202104191055ND
2021-04-19CA1010017_035_035-202104191045ND
2022-02-11CA1010017_041_041-202202111400ND
2022-02-11CA1010017_066_066-202202111100ND
2022-03-02CA1010017_065_065-202203021240ND
2022-03-02CA1010017_059_059-202203021255ND
2022-04-06CA1010017_043_043-202204061045ND
2022-04-06CA1010017_037_037-202204061135ND
2022-04-06CA1010017_040_040-202204061105ND
2022-04-06CA1010017_044_044-202204061030ND
2022-04-12CA1010017_058_058-202204121345ND
2022-04-12CA1010017_056_056-202204121305ND
2022-04-12CA1010017_057_057-202204121325ND
2022-04-19CA1010017_038_038-202204191030ND
2022-04-19CA1010017_046_046-202204191300ND
2022-08-03CA1010017_066_066-202208031345ND
2022-09-07CA1010017_041_041-202209071350ND
2023-04-24CA1010017_002_002-202304241100ND