Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Nampa

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.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND100ND
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND10ND
2021ND70ND
2022ND20ND
2023ND40ND

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
2018-07-02V1830569ND
2018-10-08V1850013ND
2018-10-08V1850014ND
2018-10-08V1850015ND
2018-10-08V1850019ND
2018-10-08V1850023ND
2018-10-08V1850025ND
2018-10-08V1850027ND
2018-10-08V1850028ND
2018-10-08V1850109ND
2020-07-14V2033050ND
2021-02-08V2105829ND
2021-02-08V2105826ND
2021-02-08V2105828ND
2021-03-08V2110615ND
2021-03-08V2110611ND
2021-03-08V2110613ND
2021-11-09V2160872ND
2022-11-16V2256977ND
2022-11-18V2256985ND
2023-02-01V2302073-04ND
2023-05-10V2309050-02ND
2023-11-30V2325654-01ND
2023-12-21V2327316-01ND