Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

East Lyme Water & Sewer Commission

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.

 

40

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND100ND
2019ND100ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND30ND
2022ND60ND
20230.143 ppb71ND - 1.000 ppb

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
2018-02-06115854GEND
2018-02-06115855GEND
2018-02-06115856GEND
2018-02-06115853GEND
2018-05-22117860GEND
2018-05-22117861GEND
2018-09-07120043ND
2018-09-07120044ND
2018-12-18121897ND
2018-12-18121898ND
2019-03-06123279ND
2019-03-06123278ND
2019-06-27125673ND
2019-06-27125674ND
2019-09-10127389ND
2019-09-10127390ND
2019-09-10127391ND
2019-12-18129475ND
2019-12-18129476ND
2019-12-18129477ND
2020-06-12132842ND
2020-06-12132845ND
2020-06-12132843ND
2020-06-12132844ND
2021-07-28141339ND
2021-09-22142552ND
2021-12-22144436ND
2022-03-04145957ND
2022-03-04145958ND
2022-03-04145959ND
2022-06-23149001ND
2022-09-21151447ND
2022-12-07153661ND
2023-06-071592151.000 ppb
2023-09-18163136ND
2023-09-18163137ND
2023-09-18163138ND
2023-09-18163139ND
2023-09-18163140ND
2023-12-15166455ND