Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Ridge Spring, Town of

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.

 

19

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND30ND
2023ND10ND

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
2018-01-17AE06217ND
2018-05-02AE11636ND
2018-07-18AE15231ND
2018-10-17AE19864ND
2019-02-27AE26426ND
2019-04-02AE28055ND
2019-07-16AE33704ND
2019-11-25AE40764ND
2020-02-11AE44279ND
2020-04-22AE47574ND
2020-12-09AE58678ND
2021-02-24AE61854ND
2021-06-24AE67917ND
2021-07-21AE69291ND
2021-11-17AE75295ND
2022-01-12AE77416ND
2022-04-20AE82499ND
2022-11-16AE93064ND
2023-10-18AF10384ND