Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Averydale Mutual Water Company

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.

 

25

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
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
2018-02-06CA1910023_004_004-201802061330ND
2018-02-20CA1910023_004_004-201802201400ND
2018-08-21CA1910023_003_003-201808211241ND
2018-08-21CA1910023_006_006-201808211324ND
2018-08-21CA1910023_001_001-201808211318ND
2019-02-19CA1910023_004_004-201902191302ND
2019-08-20CA1910023_006_006-201908201426ND
2019-08-20CA1910023_003_003-201908201400ND
2019-08-20CA1910023_001_001-201908201422ND
2020-02-18CA1910023_004_004-202002181305ND
2020-08-18CA1910023_001_001-202008181317ND
2020-08-18CA1910023_006_006-202008181334ND
2020-08-18CA1910023_003_003-202008181300ND
2021-02-16CA1910023_004_004-202102161355ND
2021-08-17CA1910023_001_001-202108171450ND
2021-08-17CA1910023_003_003-202108171430ND
2021-08-17CA1910023_006_006-202108171454ND
2022-02-22CA1910023_004_004-202202221258ND
2022-08-16CA1910023_003_003-202208161240ND
2022-08-16CA1910023_006_006-202208161254ND
2022-08-16CA1910023_001_001-202208161250ND
2023-02-21CA1910023_004_004-202302211250ND
2023-08-15CA1910023_001_001-202308151400ND
2023-08-15CA1910023_003_003-202308151340ND
2023-08-15CA1910023_006_006-202308151405ND