Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Styrene

Ridge Spring, 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.

 

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: 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
2018-01-17AE06217ND
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