Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Hastings Homeowners Water System

Benzene is a known human carcinogen. It also damages blood cells and the nervous system. Emissions from petroleum processing, hazardous waste landfills and underground storage tanks contaminate drinking water with benzene. Read More.

To protect against cancer risks, California set a public health goal for benzene in drinking water at 0.15 parts per billion, 30 times lower than the federal legal limit of 5 parts per billion.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

23

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

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

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.15 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.15 ppb for benzene 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 benzene, established in 1987, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to benzene exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-06-13AE29840ND
2018-08-13AE36682ND
2018-11-16AE46488ND
2019-01-25AE51674ND
2019-04-25AE63712ND
2019-09-26AE84884ND
2019-11-20AE89974ND
2020-01-16AE94002ND
2020-04-07AF05908ND
2020-09-03AF26510ND
2020-11-09AF33747ND
2021-03-24AF48009ND
2021-04-15AF50378ND
2021-08-06AF65399ND
2021-10-05AF72291ND
2022-02-15AF84928ND
2022-04-28AF94857ND
2022-07-25AG06131ND
2022-11-29AG20066ND
2023-01-10AG23781ND
2023-04-17AG36923ND
2023-09-12AG56046ND
2023-10-03AG58258ND