Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Alexandria 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.

 

146

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
2019ND880ND
2020ND60ND
2021ND40ND
20220.0143 ppb371ND - 0.530 ppb
20230.0800 ppb111ND - 0.880 ppb

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
2019-01-3035445470001ND
2019-01-3035445470002ND
2019-01-3035445470003ND
2019-01-3035445470004ND
2019-01-3035445470005ND
2019-01-3035445470001ND
2019-01-3035445470002ND
2019-01-3035445470003ND
2019-01-3035445470004ND
2019-01-3035445470005ND
2019-02-0635446987001ND
2019-02-0635446987002ND
2019-02-0635446987003ND
2019-02-0635446987004ND
2019-02-0635446987005ND
2019-02-0635446987001ND
2019-02-0635446987002ND
2019-02-0635446987003ND
2019-02-0635446987004ND
2019-02-0635446987005ND
2019-02-2735451250001ND
2019-02-2735451250002ND
2019-02-2735451250003ND
2019-02-2735451250004ND
2019-02-2735451250005ND
2019-02-2735451250001ND
2019-02-2735451250002ND
2019-02-2735451250003ND
2019-02-2735451250004ND
2019-02-2735451250005ND
2019-03-1335454676001ND
2019-03-1335454676002ND
2019-03-1335454676003ND
2019-03-1335454676004ND
2019-03-1335454676001ND
2019-03-1335454676002ND
2019-03-1335454676003ND
2019-03-1335454676004ND
2019-03-2035456260001ND
2019-03-2035456260002ND
2019-03-2035456260003ND
2019-03-2035456260004ND
2019-03-2035456260005ND
2019-03-2035456260001ND
2019-03-2035456260002ND
2019-03-2035456260003ND
2019-03-2035456260004ND
2019-03-2035456260005ND
2019-03-2735457693001ND
2019-03-2735457693002ND
2019-03-2735457693003ND
2019-03-2735457693004ND
2019-03-2735457693001ND
2019-03-2735457693002ND
2019-03-2735457693003ND
2019-03-2735457693004ND
2019-04-1035461050001ND
2019-04-1035461050002ND
2019-04-1035461050003ND
2019-04-1035461050005ND
2019-04-1035461050001ND
2019-04-1035461050002ND
2019-04-1035461050003ND
2019-04-1035461050005ND
2019-06-0635473878001ND
2019-06-0635473878002ND
2019-06-0635473878003ND
2019-06-0635473878001ND
2019-06-0635473878002ND
2019-06-0635473878003ND
2019-07-2535485311001ND
2019-07-2535485311001ND
2019-09-1135497727001ND
2019-09-1135497727002ND
2019-09-1135497727003ND
2019-09-1135497727001ND
2019-09-1135497727002ND
2019-09-1135497727003ND
2019-12-0435516733001ND
2019-12-0435516733002ND
2019-12-0435516733003ND
2019-12-0435516733004ND
2019-12-0435516733005ND
2019-12-0435516733001ND
2019-12-0435516733002ND
2019-12-0435516733003ND
2019-12-0435516733004ND
2019-12-0435516733005ND
2020-03-2635539990001ND
2020-03-2635539990002ND
2020-06-1735557855001ND
2020-06-1735557855002ND
2020-10-0135582119001ND
2020-11-0935590775001ND
2021-01-2635607688001ND
2021-05-0535631373001ND
2021-07-1435647771001ND
2021-08-1035655454001ND
2022-01-0435689594001ND
2022-01-0435689594002ND
2022-01-0435689594003ND
2022-01-1935691868001ND
2022-01-1935691868002ND
2022-01-1935691868003ND
2022-01-1935691868004ND
2022-01-1935691868005ND
2022-02-0235694848001ND
2022-02-0235694848002ND
2022-02-0235694848003ND
2022-02-0235694848004ND
2022-02-0235694848005ND
2022-02-2335699545001ND
2022-02-2335699545002ND
2022-02-2335699545003ND
2022-02-2335699545004ND
2022-02-2335699545005ND
2022-03-0935703385001ND
2022-03-0935703385002ND
2022-03-0935703385003ND
2022-03-0935703385004ND
2022-03-1635704974001ND
2022-03-1635704974002ND
2022-03-1635704974003ND
2022-03-1635704974004ND
2022-03-1635704974005ND
2022-07-1835733720001ND
2022-07-1835733720002ND
2022-07-1835733720003ND
2022-07-18357337200040.530 ppb
2022-07-1835733720005ND
2022-07-1835733720006ND
2022-09-1335747194001ND
2022-09-1335747194002ND
2022-11-3035763531001ND
2022-11-3035763531002ND
2023-02-0635778643001ND
2023-02-0635778643002ND
2023-05-3035803597001ND
2023-05-3035803597002ND
2023-05-3035803597003ND
2023-07-3135817947001ND
2023-07-3135817947002ND
2023-07-3135817947003ND
2023-11-27358449100010.880 ppb
2023-11-2735844910002ND
2023-11-2735844910003ND