Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

City of Refugio

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.

 

18

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

5

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
20190.750 ppb220.600 ppb - 0.900 ppb
20200.300 ppb62ND - 1.000 ppb
2021ND30ND
20220.200 ppb31ND - 0.600 ppb
2023ND30ND

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
2018-02-20AE14479ND
2019-06-10AE697600.900 ppb
2019-08-15AE789280.600 ppb
2020-03-12AF026130.800 ppb
2020-03-12AF026171.000 ppb
2020-03-12AF02619ND
2020-04-15AF06851ND
2020-07-30AF21425ND
2020-10-28AF32676ND
2021-08-19AF67170ND
2021-08-19AF67184ND
2021-08-19AF67182ND
2022-04-29AF95106ND
2022-04-29AF95108ND
2022-04-29AF951100.600 ppb
2023-02-16AG29329ND
2023-02-16AG29333ND
2023-06-05AG43020ND