Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Sugar Mountain Utility

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.

 

39

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
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND190ND
2021N/A00N/A
2022ND10ND
2023ND190ND

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
2020-02-117041-021120-OOXVND
2020-02-117041-021120-OOVVND
2020-02-117041A-021120-OOXVND
2020-02-117041A-021120-OOVVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OGHVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OPQVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOTVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOSVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OORVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OONVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOIVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOFVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOEVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOBVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OOAVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OLMVND
2020-10-287041-102820-OJKVND
2020-12-097041-120920-OOCVND
2020-12-097041-120920-OODVND
2022-03-157041-031522-OOWVND
2023-03-01752-3748-3ND
2023-03-01752-3748-1ND
2023-08-30752-11120-1ND
2023-10-17752-12705-21ND
2023-10-17752-12705-9ND
2023-10-17752-12705-7ND
2023-10-17752-12705-5ND
2023-10-17752-12705-3ND
2023-10-17752-12705-29ND
2023-10-17752-12705-27ND
2023-10-17752-12705-25ND
2023-10-17752-12705-23ND
2023-10-17752-12705-19ND
2023-10-17752-12705-17ND
2023-10-17752-12705-15ND
2023-10-17752-12705-13ND
2023-10-17752-12705-11ND
2023-10-17752-12705-1ND
2023-12-13752-14694-1ND