Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

City of Whitewright

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND30ND
2019ND30ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND30ND
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
2018-03-29Q1813091003ND
2018-03-29Q1813091006ND
2018-03-29Q1813091002ND
2019-09-03Q1961236001ND
2019-09-03Q1961236003ND
2019-09-03Q1961236005ND
2020-10-14Q2040302007ND
2020-10-14Q2040302009ND
2020-10-14Q2040302011ND
2021-09-28Q2126457001ND
2021-09-28Q2126457011ND
2021-09-28Q2126457003ND
2022-06-13Q2216370008ND
2022-06-13Q2216370010ND
2022-10-19Q2231828001ND
2023-07-25Q2329473005ND
2023-07-25Q2329473019ND
2023-07-25Q2329473024ND