Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)

Mountain Village, Town of

Hexachlorobenzene is a cancer-causing, neurotoxic and hormone-disrupting chemical used as a pesticide until 1984. It is still found in landfills and hazardous waste sites, and can be detected in people.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Detections	Range of results
2014	0.00223 ppb	10	3	ND - 0.00820 ppb
2015	0.000867 ppb	6	1	ND - 0.00520 ppb
2016	ND	2	0	ND
2017	ND	2	0	ND
2018	ND	2	0	ND
2019	ND	8	0	ND

ppb = parts per billion

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.03 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.03 ppb for hexachlorobenzene 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) 1 ppb

The legal limit for hexachlorobenzene, established in 1992, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to hexachlorobenzene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date	Result
2014-03-18	ND
2014-03-18	0.00710 ppb
2014-06-24	ND
2014-06-24	ND
2014-06-24	ND
2014-06-24	ND
2014-08-05	0.00820 ppb
2014-08-05	ND
2014-08-06	ND
2014-08-06	0.00700 ppb
2015-02-11	ND
2015-06-09	ND
2015-06-09	ND
2015-06-29	ND
2015-06-29	ND
2015-09-10	0.00520 ppb
2016-05-17	ND
2016-05-17	ND
2017-05-11	ND
2017-05-11	ND
2018-05-09	ND
2018-05-09	ND
2019-04-15	ND
2019-06-13	ND
2019-06-19	ND
2019-08-21	ND
2019-09-18	ND
2019-09-25	ND
2019-10-15	ND
2019-10-23	ND