Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

East Hampton WPCA - Village Center

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.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
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
2018-01-30115734GEND
2018-05-07117532GEND
2018-07-10118761GEND
2018-10-23120892ND
2019-01-15122347ND
2019-04-16124067ND
2019-09-17127562ND
2019-11-19128973ND
2020-02-04130248ND
2020-04-07131452ND
2020-09-01134519ND
2020-11-03135933ND
2021-01-25137562ND
2021-05-11139690ND
2021-09-21142543ND
2021-12-28144446ND
2022-03-29146620ND
2022-06-21148919ND
2022-09-20151363ND
2022-12-21154119ND
2023-03-15156497ND
2023-06-06159159ND
2023-09-28163602ND
2023-12-28166835ND