Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Vinyl chloride

Laurel Village Mobile Home Park

Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen used for production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Discharges from plastics manufacturing can contaminate drinking water with vinyl chloride. Read More.

Exposure to vinyl chloride increases the risk of cancer and can damage the liver and nervous system. The California public health goal of 0.05 parts per billion, set to protect against cancer, is 40 times lower than the amount allowed by the federal government, which is a Maximum Contaminant Level of 2 parts per billion.

Plastic pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated PVC (CPVC) are widely used for drinking water distribution lines and internal plumbing, raising concern about vinyl chloride contamination of drinking water. A study published in 2011 by Ryan Walter of Cornell University School of Civil and Environmental Engineering suggested that small amounts of vinyl chloride can leach from PVC pipes. Vinyl chloride can also form in the pipes as a result of water disinfection with chlorine.

In an assessment completed in 2000, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated that drinking water is not a significant source of exposure to vinyl chloride for the general population.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

31

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
2022ND80ND
2023ND70ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.05 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.05 ppb for vinyl 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): 2 ppb

The legal limit for vinyl chloride, established in 1987, 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 vinyl chloride exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-12-06S816920ND
2018-12-06S816921ND
2018-12-06S816924ND
2018-12-06S816918ND
2019-12-18S932357ND
2019-12-18S932358ND
2019-12-18S932360ND
2019-12-18S932362ND
2020-02-24S932614ND
2020-02-24S932618ND
2020-02-24S943432ND
2020-02-24S943435ND
2021-12-02S1148688ND
2021-12-16S1159484ND
2021-12-16S1159200ND
2021-12-16S1159204ND
2022-08-19S1216747ND
2022-08-19S1216749ND
2022-08-19S1216745ND
2022-08-19S1216743ND
2022-09-29S1230895ND
2022-09-29S1230893ND
2022-09-29S1230891ND
2022-09-29S1230889ND
2023-01-31S1260859ND
2023-01-31S1260927ND
2023-01-31S1261011ND
2023-01-31S1261013ND
2023-03-08S1272406ND
2023-03-08S1272410ND
2023-03-08S1272412ND