Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Vinyl chloride

Greenwood Acres Water Company

NOTE: Greenwood Acres Water Company purchases water from Des Moines Water Works which is required to test for vinyl chloride. Sample information shown below was taken by Des Moines Water Works.

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.

 

33

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND70ND
2020ND50ND
2021ND60ND
2022ND60ND
2023ND20ND

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

NOTE: Greenwood Acres Water Company purchases water from Des Moines Water Works which is required to test for vinyl chloride. Sample information shown below was taken by Des Moines Water Works.

Date Lab ID Result
2018-02-07OE619537ND
2018-04-09OE642876ND
2018-07-09OE680202ND
2018-07-11OE681739ND
2018-07-16OE683859ND
2018-10-08OE724008ND
2018-10-09OE724603ND
2019-02-05OE768013ND
2019-05-07OE804374ND
2019-07-09OE831885ND
2019-07-16OE835743ND
2019-08-06OE845757ND
2019-08-21OE854920ND
2019-11-11OE891921ND
2020-02-11OE927389ND
2020-05-01OE990184ND
2020-08-10OE1167346ND
2020-10-12OE1332018ND
2020-11-04OE1394307ND
2021-02-04OE1576723ND
2021-04-05OE1648617ND
2021-07-06OE1748365ND
2021-07-06OE1748366ND
2021-07-06OE1748381ND
2021-10-12OE1887697ND
2022-02-03OE2033823ND
2022-04-04OE2076533ND
2022-07-05OE2128016ND
2022-07-05OE2128018ND
2022-08-04OE2148499ND
2022-09-19OE2175664ND
2023-07-14OE2307354ND
2023-10-16OE2350834ND