Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Liberty City Water Supply Corporation

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.

 

24

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
2022ND40ND
2023ND40ND

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
2018-06-14Q1823909009ND
2018-06-14Q1823909010ND
2018-06-14Q1823909012ND
2018-06-14Q1823909006ND
2019-03-28Q1912649008ND
2019-03-28Q1912649009ND
2019-03-28Q1912649012ND
2019-03-28Q1912649013ND
2020-10-13Q2039989007ND
2020-10-13Q2039989009ND
2020-10-13Q2039989011ND
2020-10-13Q2039989030ND
2021-06-24Q2116619002ND
2021-11-19Q2132571004ND
2021-11-19Q2132571006ND
2021-11-19Q2132571008ND
2022-03-28Q2209608003ND
2022-10-24Q2231971001ND
2022-10-24Q2231971003ND
2022-10-24Q2231971005ND
2023-02-16Q2306532003ND
2023-06-14Q2322655004ND
2023-06-14Q2322655006ND
2023-06-14Q2322655018ND