Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Caldwell

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.

 

17

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
2021ND100ND
2022N/A00N/A
2023N/A00N/A

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
2019-08-06V1938594ND
2019-08-06V1938597ND
2019-08-19V1941181ND
2019-08-19V1941183ND
2019-08-19V1941174ND
2019-08-19V1941177ND
2019-08-19V1941179ND
2021-06-30V2132702ND
2021-06-30V2132703ND
2021-08-02V2139301ND
2021-08-02V2139302ND
2021-09-16V2148955ND
2021-09-16V2148956ND
2021-10-28V2158341ND
2021-10-28V2158343ND
2021-10-28V2158342ND
2021-11-15V2162140ND