Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Palm Ranch Irrigation District

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
2018N/A00N/A
2019ND40ND
2020ND80ND
2021ND130ND
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
2019-05-28CA1910103_001_001-201905280850ND
2019-06-04CA1910103_002_002-201906040635ND
2019-06-11CA1910103_007_007-201906110636ND
2019-11-07CA1910103_015_015-201911070900ND
2020-08-11CA1910103_002_002-202008110950ND
2020-08-11CA1910103_015_015-202008111020ND
2020-08-11CA1910103_005_005-202008111037ND
2020-08-11CA1910103_007_007-202008111005ND
2020-08-11CA1910103_001_001-202008110958ND
2020-11-10CA1910103_002_002-202011100729ND
2020-11-10CA1910103_001_001-202011100744ND
2020-11-10CA1910103_015_015-202011100756ND
2021-02-16CA1910103_015_015-202102160727ND
2021-02-16CA1910103_001_001-202102160718ND
2021-02-16CA1910103_002_002-202102160708ND
2021-02-16CA1910103_007_007-202102160745ND
2021-05-18CA1910103_007_007-202105180735ND
2021-05-18CA1910103_001_001-202105180705ND
2021-05-18CA1910103_015_015-202105180719ND
2021-06-29CA1910103_001_001-202106290646ND
2021-06-29CA1910103_015_015-202106290705ND
2021-06-30CA1910103_007_007-202106301158ND
2021-07-06CA1910103_002_002-202107060708ND
2021-08-10CA1910103_007_007-202108100744ND
2021-11-02CA1910103_007_007-202111020758ND
2022-04-04CA1910103_015_015-202204040811ND
2022-04-04CA1910103_001_001-202204040819ND
2022-07-12CA1910103_002_002-202207120628ND
2022-10-04CA1910103_007_007-202210040718ND
2023-01-03CA1910103_001_001-202301030747ND
2023-01-03CA1910103_007_007-202301030705ND
2023-01-03CA1910103_015_015-202301030729ND
2023-01-03CA1910103_002_002-202301030803ND