Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Styrene

City of Post Falls

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.

 

25

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019ND70ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND10ND
2022ND100ND
2023ND70ND

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 Lab ID Result
2019-11-12V210892ND
2019-11-13V210942ND
2019-11-18V211063ND
2019-11-18V211060ND
2019-11-19V211104ND
2019-12-09V211717ND
2019-12-16V211918ND
2021-11-30V202111052502ND
2022-02-09V202202020202ND
2022-03-09V202203020202ND
2022-03-09V202203020101ND
2022-03-14V202203025402ND
2022-03-14V202203025302ND
2022-04-27V202204053602ND
2022-06-06V2022060086ND
2022-06-07V2022060100ND
2022-07-13V202207033802ND
2022-11-01V202211003902ND
2023-01-25V202301040802ND
2023-05-15V202305028802ND
2023-07-25VMDG08170102ND
2023-07-25VMDG08170302ND
2023-07-25VMDG08170502ND
2023-07-25VMDG08170702ND
2023-12-13V202312023502ND