Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Linden

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.

 

22

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

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

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
2018-01-03Q1800198003ND
2018-04-04Q1814029002ND
2018-04-04Q1814029005ND
2018-04-04Q1814029010ND
2019-05-02Q1918234001ND
2019-05-02Q1918234003ND
2019-05-02Q1918234005ND
2019-05-02Q1918234007ND
2020-04-22Q2016067005ND
2020-04-22Q2016067007ND
2020-10-22Q2041220007ND
2020-10-22Q2041220005ND
2021-01-25Q2101630002ND
2021-01-25Q2101630004ND
2021-01-25Q2101630006ND
2021-01-25Q2101630008ND
2022-02-08Q2204277003ND
2022-11-16Q2234545001ND
2022-11-16Q2234545003ND
2023-02-13Q2305588004ND
2023-08-22Q2335447002ND
2023-10-24Q2345776004ND