Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Riverwalk Subdivision

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
2018-01-22AE09589ND
2018-01-22AE09591ND
2018-01-22AE09581ND
2019-11-25AE90392ND
2019-11-25AE90394ND
2019-11-25AE90408ND
2020-09-03AF26500ND
2020-09-03AF26502ND
2020-09-03AF26506ND
2021-07-26AF63303ND
2021-07-26AF63347ND
2021-07-26AF63345ND
2022-08-24AG10787ND
2022-08-24AG10791ND
2022-08-24AG10799ND
2023-08-03AG51336ND
2023-08-03AG51354ND
2023-08-03AG51356ND