Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Watchtower Bible Tract Society

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND10ND
2021ND60ND
2022ND10ND
2023ND70ND

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
2018-07-31420-140368-1POCSND
2019-08-08420-158308-4POCSND
2019-08-08420-158308-1POCSND
2020-07-21420-202527-5POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-11POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-9POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-1POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-13POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-3POCSND
2021-07-21420-202527-7POCSND
2022-11-21L2265663POCSND
2023-06-28L2337410-06POCSND
2023-06-28L2337410-07POCSND
2023-06-28L2337410-05POCSND
2023-06-29L2337410-04POCSND
2023-06-29L2337410-03POCSND
2023-06-29L2337410-01POCSND
2023-06-29L2337410-02POCSND