Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Boh-nak Mobile Home Park

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.

 

22

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND50ND
2022ND10ND
20230.228 ppb41ND - 0.910 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
2018-02-01E18002794001ND
2018-05-03E18003986001ND
2018-07-26E19000268001ND
2018-11-08E19001598001ND
2019-03-28E19003182001ND
2019-06-06E19004198001ND
2019-09-05E20000965001ND
2019-10-24E20001624001ND
2020-03-05E20003055001ND
2020-06-03E20003736001ND
2020-07-23E21000238001ND
2020-10-22E21001138001ND
2021-02-10E21002098006ND
2021-05-21E21003420001ND
2021-07-15E22000161001ND
2021-09-22E22000963001ND
2021-11-17E2200089904ND
2022-02-15021522_02_021622250ND
2023-02-16E2300185106ND
2023-06-07E2300298601ND
2023-08-02E2400035701ND
2023-10-17E24000929010.910 ppb