Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Vinyl chloride

Lynwood Park Mutual Water Company

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.

 

68

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND120ND
2019ND120ND
2020ND110ND
2021ND120ND
2022ND120ND
2023ND90ND

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

Date Lab ID Result
2018-01-15CA1910081_001_001-201801151120ND
2018-01-15CA1910081_002_002-201801151055ND
2018-01-15CA1910081_003_003-201801151157ND
2018-04-16CA1910081_003_003-201804161245ND
2018-04-16CA1910081_002_002-201804161230ND
2018-04-16CA1910081_001_001-201804161200ND
2018-07-17CA1910081_003_003-201807171305ND
2018-07-17CA1910081_001_001-201807171238ND
2018-07-17CA1910081_002_002-201807171225ND
2018-10-15CA1910081_003_003-201810151155ND
2018-10-22CA1910081_001_001-201810221450ND
2018-10-22CA1910081_002_002-201810221440ND
2019-01-21CA1910081_001_001-201901211300ND
2019-01-21CA1910081_002_002-201901211325ND
2019-01-21CA1910081_003_003-201901211240ND
2019-04-22CA1910081_003_003-201904221154ND
2019-04-22CA1910081_001_001-201904221050ND
2019-04-22CA1910081_002_002-201904221124ND
2019-07-15CA1910081_001_001-201907151115ND
2019-07-15CA1910081_002_002-201907151105ND
2019-07-15CA1910081_003_003-201907151210ND
2019-10-14CA1910081_003_003-201910141040ND
2019-10-14CA1910081_001_001-201910141015ND
2019-10-14CA1910081_002_002-201910141000ND
2020-01-20CA1910081_003_003-202001201120ND
2020-04-20CA1910081_003_003-202004201050ND
2020-04-20CA1910081_001_001-202004201015ND
2020-04-20CA1910081_002_002-202004201034ND
2020-06-22CA1910081_002_002-202006221057ND
2020-07-21CA1910081_003_003-202007211205ND
2020-07-21CA1910081_002_002-202007211128ND
2020-07-21CA1910081_001_001-202007211224ND
2020-10-19CA1910081_002_002-202010191028ND
2020-10-19CA1910081_001_001-202010191015ND
2020-10-19CA1910081_003_003-202010190955ND
2021-01-18CA1910081_003_003-202101181100ND
2021-01-18CA1910081_001_001-202101181115ND
2021-01-18CA1910081_002_002-202101181120ND
2021-04-20CA1910081_001_001-202104201123ND
2021-04-20CA1910081_002_002-202104201130ND
2021-04-20CA1910081_003_003-202104201106ND
2021-07-19CA1910081_001_001-202107191201ND
2021-07-19CA1910081_003_003-202107191231ND
2021-07-27CA1910081_002_002-202107271158ND
2021-10-18CA1910081_003_003-202110181330ND
2021-10-18CA1910081_002_002-202110181405ND
2021-10-18CA1910081_001_001-202110181350ND
2022-01-17CA1910081_001_001-202201171045ND
2022-01-17CA1910081_002_002-202201171052ND
2022-01-17CA1910081_003_003-202201171027ND
2022-04-18CA1910081_002_002-202204181049ND
2022-04-18CA1910081_003_003-202204181020ND
2022-04-18CA1910081_001_001-202204181033ND
2022-07-18CA1910081_002_002-202207181120ND
2022-07-18CA1910081_003_003-202207181100ND
2022-08-15CA1910081_001_001-202208150957ND
2022-10-17CA1910081_003_003-202210171230ND
2022-10-17CA1910081_002_002-202210171318ND
2022-10-17CA1910081_001_001-202210171255ND
2023-01-16CA1910081_003_003-202301161011ND
2023-01-16CA1910081_001_001-202301161055ND
2023-01-16CA1910081_002_002-202301161105ND
2023-04-18CA1910081_003_003-202304181535ND
2023-04-18CA1910081_002_002-202304181630ND
2023-04-18CA1910081_001_001-202304181610ND
2023-10-17CA1910081_003_003-202310171050ND
2023-10-17CA1910081_001_001-202310171125ND
2023-10-17CA1910081_002_002-202310171145ND