Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Aubrey

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.

 

28

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND50ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND70ND

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
2018-03-15Q1810837004ND
2018-03-15Q1810837006ND
2018-03-15Q1810837008ND
2018-03-15Q1810837002ND
2019-05-15Q1926233001ND
2019-05-15Q1926233003ND
2019-05-15Q1926233005ND
2019-05-15Q1926233007ND
2020-03-26Q2012850003ND
2020-05-18Q2019651001ND
2020-10-05Q2038828008ND
2020-10-05Q2038828010ND
2020-10-05Q2038828012ND
2021-07-01Q2117370014ND
2021-07-01Q2117370018ND
2021-07-01Q2117370016ND
2021-07-01Q2117370012ND
2022-10-13Q2231065002ND
2022-10-13Q2231065004ND
2022-10-13Q2231065006ND
2022-10-13Q2231065008ND
2023-04-11Q2313300012ND
2023-09-26Q2341271006ND
2023-09-26Q2341271008ND
2023-09-26Q2341271010ND
2023-09-26Q2341271012ND
2023-09-26Q2341271037ND
2023-11-14Q2348752005ND