Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Chaffee PWS

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
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
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
2018-01-10AD12050ND
2018-05-06AD18663ND
2018-07-16AD29540ND
2018-10-15AD35060ND
2019-01-09AD38372ND
2019-04-08AD46663ND
2019-07-10AD52709ND
2019-10-20AD57371ND
2020-01-13AD60690ND
2020-04-152004281ND
2020-07-152011704ND
2020-10-182016623ND
2021-01-112020222ND
2021-04-122103835ND
2021-07-122113757ND
2021-10-192118151ND
2022-01-052121647ND
2022-04-132204388ND
2022-07-112214803ND
2022-10-092219685ND
2023-01-092223354ND
2023-04-122303495ND
2023-07-162311711ND
2023-10-182316866ND