Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Triple R 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.

 

20

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
2019ND100ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND60ND
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
2019-12-11CA5400670_006_006-201912111100ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_001_001-201912111035ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_009_009-201912111115ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_010_010-201912111225ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_008_008-201912111255ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_011_011-201912111210ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_004_004-201912110955ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_002_002-201912111155ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_005_005-201912111140ND
2019-12-11CA5400670_007_007-201912111210ND
2020-06-29CA5400670_011_011-202006291640ND
2020-09-28CA5400670_011_011-202009281620ND
2020-12-20CA5400670_011_011-202012201140ND
2021-03-13CA5400670_011_011-202103131200ND
2022-03-27CA5400670_011_011-202203271455ND
2022-06-24CA5400670_009_009-202206241305ND
2022-12-28CA5400670_007_007-202212281115ND
2022-12-28CA5400670_001_001-202212281000ND
2022-12-28CA5400670_008_008-202212281100ND
2022-12-28CA5400670_006_006-202212281030ND