Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

California Water Service Company Oak Hills

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.

 

27

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND30ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND60ND
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
2018-03-14CA2710019_008_008-201803141248ND
2018-06-20CA2710019_008_008-201806200940ND
2018-09-25CA2710019_003_003-201809251256ND
2018-09-25CA2710019_008_008-201809251226ND
2018-12-12CA2710019_008_008-201812121546ND
2019-06-19CA2710019_008_008-201906191332ND
2019-09-17CA2710019_008_008-201909171201ND
2019-12-19CA2710019_008_008-201912191054ND
2020-03-17CA2710019_008_008-202003171219ND
2020-05-19CA2710019_008_008-202005190920ND
2020-09-24CA2710019_008_008-202009241029ND
2020-12-15CA2710019_008_008-202012151046ND
2021-03-09CA2710019_008_008-202103091038ND
2021-06-29CA2710019_001_001-202106291348ND
2021-06-29CA2710019_008_008-202106291156ND
2021-09-14CA2710019_008_008-202109140956ND
2021-09-14CA2710019_003_003-202109140935ND
2021-12-15CA2710019_008_008-202112150944ND
2022-02-22CA2710019_008_008-202202220909ND
2022-03-10CA2710019_008_008-202203101116ND
2022-06-22CA2710019_008_008-202206221330ND
2022-09-01CA2710019_008_008-202209011120ND
2022-12-08CA2710019_008_008-202212081046ND
2023-03-28CA2710019_008_008-202303281435ND
2023-06-26CA2710019_008_008-202306261250ND
2023-09-21CA2710019_008_008-202309210921ND
2023-12-28CA2710019_008_008-202312280955ND