Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District 23

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.

 

22

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

4

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.375 ppb42ND - 0.800 ppb
20190.433 ppb31ND - 1.30 ppb
2020ND30ND
20210.200 ppb41ND - 0.800 ppb
2022ND40ND
2023ND40ND

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
2018-01-11AE089560.700 ppb
2018-05-17AE268150.800 ppb
2018-07-12AE33153ND
2018-10-09AE42952ND
2019-01-31AE524671.30 ppb
2019-09-25AE84642ND
2019-11-07AE88933ND
2020-02-13AE98459ND
2020-08-13AF23542ND
2020-12-03AF36488ND
2021-03-09AF46016ND
2021-04-06AF49185ND
2021-08-12AF66123ND
2021-10-21AF743710.800 ppb
2022-02-03AF83333ND
2022-05-17AF97252ND
2022-07-21AG05793ND
2022-10-25AG18331ND
2023-01-12AG24446ND
2023-04-13AG36773ND
2023-08-17AG53066ND
2023-10-12AG59738ND