Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

New Orleans Carrollton Waterworks

Benzene is a known human carcinogen. It also damages blood cells and the nervous system. Emissions from petroleum processing, hazardous waste landfills and underground storage tanks contaminate drinking water with benzene. Read More.

To protect against cancer risks, California set a public health goal for benzene in drinking water at 0.15 parts per billion, 30 times lower than the federal legal limit of 5 parts per billion.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

28

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND120ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND30ND
2022ND30ND
2023ND30ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.15 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.15 ppb for benzene 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 benzene, 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 benzene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-03-1535380391002ND
2018-03-1535380391001ND
2018-03-1535380391001ND
2018-03-1535380391002ND
2019-02-2735451098001ND
2019-02-2735451097001ND
2019-02-2735451098001ND
2019-02-2735451097001ND
2019-09-0535495386001ND
2019-09-0535495386003ND
2019-09-0535495386001ND
2019-09-0535495386003ND
2019-09-0535495386002ND
2019-09-0535495386002ND
2019-09-1935499418001ND
2019-09-1935499418001ND
2020-03-2635540024001ND
2020-03-2635540029001ND
2020-03-2635540032001ND
2021-03-2935622307001ND
2021-03-2935622313001ND
2021-03-2935622309001ND
2022-03-1535704706001ND
2022-03-1535704707001ND
2022-03-1535704709001ND
2023-03-0635783931001ND
2023-03-0635783938001ND
2023-03-0635783939001ND