Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Ranch Hand Apartments

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.

 

19

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND60ND
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
2018-08-22Q1833679007ND
2018-08-22Q1833679004ND
2019-02-21Q1907708004ND
2019-02-21Q1907708007ND
2020-02-13Q2005887008ND
2020-02-13Q2005887010ND
2020-02-13Q2005887012ND
2020-05-21Q2020391003ND
2020-08-17Q2032718003ND
2020-12-14Q2049491004ND
2021-08-18Q2122319001ND
2021-08-18Q2122319003ND
2021-08-18Q2122319005ND
2022-06-08Q2216110005ND
2022-06-08Q2216110007ND
2022-06-08Q2216110009ND
2023-03-02Q2308578003ND
2023-03-02Q2308578005ND
2023-03-02Q2308578010ND