Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District 23

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
2019ND30ND
2020ND30ND
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
2018-01-11AE08956ND
2018-05-17AE26815ND
2018-07-12AE33153ND
2018-10-09AE42952ND
2019-01-31AE52467ND
2019-09-25AE84642ND
2019-11-07AE88933ND
2020-02-13AE98459ND
2020-08-13AF23542ND
2020-12-03AF36488ND
2021-03-09AF46016ND
2021-04-06AF49185ND
2021-08-12AF66123ND
2021-10-21AF74371ND
2022-02-03AF83333ND
2022-05-17AF97252ND
2022-07-21AG05793ND
2022-10-25AG18331ND
2023-01-12AG24446ND
2023-04-13AG36773ND
2023-08-17AG53066ND
2023-10-12AG59738ND