Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Woodlake, City Of

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.

 

29

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND70ND
2019ND80ND
2020ND70ND
2021ND50ND
2022ND10ND
2023ND10ND

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
2018-02-27CA5410020_009_009-201802271430ND
2018-02-27CA5410020_010_010-201802271418ND
2018-06-28CA5410020_009_009-201806281344ND
2018-06-28CA5410020_010_010-201806281355ND
2018-09-20CA5410020_010_010-201809201140ND
2018-09-20CA5410020_009_009-201809201154ND
2018-12-28CA5410020_009_009-201812281305ND
2019-03-11CA5410020_009_009-201903111238ND
2019-03-11CA5410020_010_010-201903111250ND
2019-05-07CA5410020_010_010-201905071315ND
2019-05-07CA5410020_009_009-201905071340ND
2019-08-22CA5410020_010_010-201908221315ND
2019-08-22CA5410020_009_009-201908221331ND
2019-11-26CA5410020_010_010-201911261325ND
2019-11-26CA5410020_009_009-201911261340ND
2020-09-15CA5410020_005_005-202009151220ND
2020-09-15CA5410020_009_009-202009151138ND
2020-09-15CA5410020_006_006-202009151202ND
2020-09-15CA5410020_008_008-202009151125ND
2020-09-15CA5410020_010_010-202009151144ND
2020-12-08CA5410020_004_004-202012081250ND
2020-12-08CA5410020_007_007-202012081305ND
2021-02-22CA5410020_007_007-202102221118ND
2021-02-22CA5410020_004_004-202102221134ND
2021-08-31CA5410020_005_005-202108311010ND
2021-08-31CA5410020_009_009-202108311119ND
2021-08-31CA5410020_010_010-202108311128ND
2022-09-27CA5410020_008_008-202209271225ND
2023-08-15CA5410020_006_006-202308151200ND