Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Thousand Trails San Benito Preserve

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND110ND
2019ND50ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND20ND
2022N/A00N/A
2023N/A00N/A

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
2018-03-28CA3500505_001_001-201803281545ND
2018-03-28CA3500505_002_002-201803281502ND
2018-06-21CA3500505_005_005-201806211321ND
2018-06-21CA3500505_001_001-201806211103ND
2018-06-21CA3500505_002_002-201806211138ND
2018-08-08CA3500505_002_002-201808080816ND
2018-08-08CA3500505_001_001-201808080856ND
2018-09-13CA3500505_005_005-201809131015ND
2018-11-14CA3500505_005_005-201811141030ND
2018-11-27CA3500505_002_002-201811271215ND
2018-12-11CA3500505_001_001-201812111139ND
2019-03-26CA3500505_001_001-201903261406ND
2019-03-26CA3500505_005_005-201903261100ND
2019-12-23CA3500505_005_005-201912230940ND
2019-12-23CA3500505_001_001-201912231110ND
2019-12-23CA3500505_002_002-201912231035ND
2021-03-15CA3500505_005_005-202103151209ND
2021-03-29CA3500505_001_001-202103290656ND