Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Wallingford Water Department

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.

 

34

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND60ND
2019ND60ND
2020ND60ND
2021ND60ND
2022ND50ND
2023ND50ND

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
2018-03-05BZ98169ND
2018-04-17CA21065ND
2018-06-28CA80407ND
2018-07-17CA91980ND
2018-08-14CB11135ND
2018-10-11CB69933ND
2019-02-21CC55842-02ND
2019-03-06CC62592-02ND
2019-03-06CC62591-02ND
2019-04-08CC90384ND
2019-07-08CD51593ND
2019-10-10CE30938-VOCND
2020-02-03CF25156ND
2020-02-05CF27861ND
2020-03-11CF48935ND
2020-04-08CF71118ND
2020-08-12CG53027ND
2020-10-07CG95538ND
2021-02-03CH55990-VOCND
2021-03-10CH75493ND
2021-04-07CH94007ND
2021-04-07CH94005ND
2021-09-15CJ30037ND
2021-10-06CJ50288ND
2022-02-07CK32469-VOCND
2022-03-09CK82546ND
2022-04-06CL02035-VOCND
2022-08-10CM01614ND
2022-11-16CM86907ND
2023-01-11CN21046ND
2023-02-06CN36383ND
2023-04-12CN81747ND
2023-07-12CO49576ND
2023-10-26CP34585ND