1,4-Dioxane
Bedford Consolidated Water District
1,4-Dioxane is a solvent classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen. It contaminates groundwater in many states due to industrial wastewater discharges, plastic manufacturing runoff and landfill runoff. Read More.
Animal studies show that 1,4-dioxane can target the liver, kidneys and respiratory system, and that prenatal exposure can harm the developing fetus. The State of California has set a Public Heatlh Goal of no more than 1 part per billion of 1,4-dioxane in drinking water. The state of Massachusetts sets a legal limit of 0.3 ppb, and New Hampshire's limit is 3 parts per billion. There is no national drinking water standard for this contaminant.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2014 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2015 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2016 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2017 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2018 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2019 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2020 | ND | 3 | 0 | ND |
| 2021 | ND | 12 | 0 | ND |
| 2022 | ND | 3 | 0 | ND |
| 2023 | ND | 3 | 0 | ND |
ppb = parts per billion
State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water
EWG Health Guideline: 0.35 ppb
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.35 ppb for 1,4-dioxane was defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
ppb = parts per billion
All test results
| Date | Lab ID | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-06 | CG91668PFAS | ND |
| 2020-10-06 | CG91669PFAS | ND |
| 2020-10-06 | CG91670PFAS | ND |
| 2021-01-19 | CH48840-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-01-19 | CH48841-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-01-19 | CH48839-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-04-19 | 21D0841-1-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-04-21 | 21D0951-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-04-27 | 21D1226-02-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-08-25 | 21H1285-04-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-08-25 | 21H1285-06-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-08-25 | 21H1285-05-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-10-22 | 21J1104-03-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-10-22 | 21J1104-04-PFAS | ND |
| 2021-10-28 | 21J1290-01-PFAS | ND |
| 2022-01-19 | 22A0816-01-PFAS | ND |
| 2022-08-24 | 22H1509-04-PFAS | ND |
| 2022-08-24 | 22H1509-03-PFAS | ND |
| 2023-08-23 | 23H1893-PFAS | ND |
| 2023-08-23 | 23H1893-02-PFAS | ND |
| 2023-08-23 | 23H1893-03-PFAS | ND |