Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

City of Bells

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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND20ND
2022ND20ND
2023ND20ND

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
2018-03-15Q1810771002ND
2018-03-15Q1810771003ND
2019-04-30Q1917145003ND
2019-04-30Q1917145006ND
2020-07-15Q2027742005ND
2020-07-15Q2027742007ND
2021-10-19Q2129317005ND
2021-10-19Q2129317007ND
2022-06-13Q2216369008ND
2022-10-19Q2231826001ND
2023-06-05Q2320814001ND
2023-06-05Q2320814003ND