Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Styrene

Mccoll, Town of

Styrene is a volatile cancer-causing chemical used for manufacturing Styrofoam (polystyrene) and other plastics. Releases from industrial production sites and hazardous waste landfills cause styrene contamination in drinking water. Read More.

In addition to increasing the risk of cancer, styrene can also damage the liver and the nervous system. California set a public health goal for styrene in drinking water at 0.5 parts per billion. The federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) allows up to 100 parts per billion of styrene in water, which is 200 times more than the California recommended level.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

21

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND60ND
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND30ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.5 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.5 ppb for styrene 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): 100 ppb

The legal limit for styrene, established in 1991, was based on a toxicity study in laboratory animals conducted in the 1970s. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to styrene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-03-12AE09098ND
2018-03-12AE09099ND
2018-06-05AE13175ND
2018-08-07AE16322ND
2018-08-07AE16323ND
2018-10-24AE20396ND
2020-02-04AE43956ND
2020-05-04AE47957ND
2020-09-01AE53880ND
2020-12-01AE58179ND
2021-02-22AE61569ND
2021-04-12AE63953ND
2021-09-08AE71526ND
2021-11-29AE75569ND
2022-03-09AE80505ND
2022-06-27AE85787ND
2022-08-24AE88851ND
2022-11-16AE93077ND
2023-01-19AE95775ND
2023-05-15AF01825ND
2023-07-13AF05499ND