Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

City of Sundown

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.

 

16

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

2

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND40ND
20220.613 ppb42ND - 1.35 ppb
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
2018-01-11Q1801555016ND
2018-01-11Q1801555019ND
2019-01-08Q1900776005ND
2019-01-08Q1900776007ND
2020-01-14Q2001302001ND
2020-01-14Q2001302003ND
2021-01-20Q2101443003ND
2021-04-05Q2108480010ND
2021-07-01Q2117329003ND
2021-10-05Q2127289002ND
2022-01-13Q2201435005ND
2022-01-13Q22014350071.35 ppb
2022-04-28Q22128200021.10 ppb
2022-09-20Q2228114003ND
2023-01-09Q2300847001ND
2023-04-03Q2312040006ND