Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Plaquemine Water System

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.

 

27

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
2019ND100ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND50ND
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
2019-05-2035469857001ND
2019-05-2035469857002ND
2019-05-2035469857001ND
2019-05-2035469857002ND
2019-05-2135470500001ND
2019-05-2135470500002ND
2019-05-2135470500001ND
2019-05-2135470500002ND
2019-06-1235475393005ND
2019-06-1235475393005ND
2020-06-0135554093004ND
2020-06-0135554093003ND
2020-06-0135554093002ND
2020-06-0135554093001ND
2021-05-2535636158001ND
2021-05-2535636158002ND
2021-05-2535636158003ND
2021-05-2535636158004ND
2022-05-1635718662001ND
2022-05-1635718662002ND
2022-05-1635718662003ND
2022-05-1635718662004ND
2022-05-1635718662005ND
2023-10-3035838246001ND
2023-10-3035838246002ND
2023-10-3035838246003ND
2023-10-3035838246004ND