Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Marble Community Water System

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.

 

11

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND10ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND30ND
2023ND20ND

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
2018-03-1992377444001VOCND
2020-03-1692469616001_12710ND
2021-03-2992530231001A_12710ND
2021-06-1592544634001_12710ND
2021-08-1192555441001_12710ND
2021-10-1992567887001_12710ND
2022-02-0992587505001_12710ND
2022-05-1192604135001_12710ND
2022-09-122093908-01ND
2023-07-1037729_23-36797ND
2023-07-1037729_23-36799ND