Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Styrene

Nas Whiting Field

Styrene is a volatile cancer-causing chemical used for manufacturing Styrofoam (polystyrene) and other plastics. Releases from industrial production sites and hazardous waste landfills cause styrene contamination in drinking water. Read More.

In addition to increasing the risk of cancer, styrene can also damage the liver and the nervous system. California set a public health goal for styrene in drinking water at 0.5 parts per billion. The federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) allows up to 100 parts per billion of styrene in water, which is 200 times more than the California recommended level.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

180

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND360ND
2019ND320ND
2020ND330ND
2021ND270ND
2022ND220ND
2023ND300ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.5 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.5 ppb for styrene 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): 100 ppb

The legal limit for styrene, established in 1991, was based on a toxicity study in laboratory animals conducted in the 1970s. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to styrene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Result
2018-01-15ND
2018-01-15ND
2018-01-15ND
2018-02-06ND
2018-02-06ND
2018-02-06ND
2018-03-15ND
2018-03-15ND
2018-03-15ND
2018-04-11ND
2018-04-11ND
2018-04-11ND
2018-05-08ND
2018-05-08ND
2018-05-08ND
2018-06-18ND
2018-06-18ND
2018-06-18ND
2018-07-12ND
2018-07-12ND
2018-07-12ND
2018-08-08ND
2018-08-08ND
2018-08-08ND
2018-09-12ND
2018-09-12ND
2018-09-12ND
2018-10-18ND
2018-10-18ND
2018-10-18ND
2018-11-15ND
2018-11-15ND
2018-11-30ND
2018-12-12ND
2018-12-12ND
2018-12-12ND
2019-01-16ND
2019-01-16ND
2019-01-16ND
2019-02-13ND
2019-02-13ND
2019-02-13ND
2019-03-07ND
2019-03-07ND
2019-03-07ND
2019-04-17ND
2019-04-17ND
2019-05-09ND
2019-05-09ND
2019-06-12ND
2019-06-12ND
2019-07-17ND
2019-07-17ND
2019-08-14ND
2019-08-14ND
2019-08-14ND
2019-09-12ND
2019-09-12ND
2019-09-12ND
2019-10-10ND
2019-10-16ND
2019-10-16ND
2019-11-06ND
2019-11-06ND
2019-11-06ND
2019-12-05ND
2019-12-05ND
2019-12-05ND
2020-01-07ND
2020-01-07ND
2020-01-07ND
2020-02-19ND
2020-02-19ND
2020-02-19ND
2020-03-10ND
2020-03-10ND
2020-03-10ND
2020-04-07ND
2020-04-07ND
2020-04-07ND
2020-06-03ND
2020-06-03ND
2020-06-03ND
2020-07-14ND
2020-07-14ND
2020-07-14ND
2020-08-11ND
2020-08-11ND
2020-08-11ND
2020-09-02ND
2020-09-02ND
2020-09-02ND
2020-10-07ND
2020-10-07ND
2020-10-07ND
2020-11-03ND
2020-11-03ND
2020-11-03ND
2020-12-08ND
2020-12-08ND
2020-12-08ND
2021-01-06ND
2021-01-06ND
2021-01-06ND
2021-02-09ND
2021-02-09ND
2021-03-09ND
2021-03-09ND
2021-04-07ND
2021-04-07ND
2021-05-11ND
2021-05-11ND
2021-05-12ND
2021-05-12ND
2021-06-09ND
2021-06-09ND
2021-07-13ND
2021-08-10ND
2021-08-10ND
2021-09-14ND
2021-09-14ND
2021-09-15ND
2021-10-12ND
2021-10-12ND
2021-11-10ND
2021-11-10ND
2021-12-14ND
2021-12-14ND
2022-01-12ND
2022-01-12ND
2022-02-09ND
2022-02-09ND
2022-03-14ND
2022-03-14ND
2022-04-12ND
2022-04-12ND
2022-05-10ND
2022-05-10ND
2022-06-08ND
2022-06-08ND
2022-07-20ND
2022-07-20ND
2022-08-10ND
2022-08-10ND
2022-09-14ND
2022-09-14ND
2022-10-11ND
2022-10-11ND
2022-11-09ND
2022-11-09ND
2023-01-11ND
2023-01-11ND
2023-01-11ND
2023-04-11ND
2023-04-11ND
2023-04-11ND
2023-05-10ND
2023-05-10ND
2023-05-10ND
2023-06-07ND
2023-06-07ND
2023-06-07ND
2023-07-12ND
2023-07-12ND
2023-07-12ND
2023-08-09ND
2023-08-09ND
2023-08-09ND
2023-09-06ND
2023-09-06ND
2023-09-06ND
2023-10-04ND
2023-10-04ND
2023-10-04ND
2023-11-08ND
2023-11-08ND
2023-11-08ND
2023-12-06ND
2023-12-06ND
2023-12-06ND