Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Saint Francis Village

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.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND40ND

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
2018-07-19Q1828773003ND
2018-07-19Q1828773005ND
2018-07-19Q1828773007ND
2018-07-19Q1828773002ND
2019-03-20Q1911627006ND
2019-03-20Q1911627007ND
2019-03-20Q1911627010ND
2019-03-20Q1911627018ND
2020-07-20Q2028181001ND
2020-07-20Q2028181003ND
2020-07-20Q2028181005ND
2020-07-20Q2028181007ND
2021-09-14Q2125001001ND
2021-09-14Q2125001007ND
2021-09-14Q2125001005ND
2021-09-14Q2125001003ND
2022-05-26Q2215264003ND
2022-05-26Q2215264005ND
2022-05-26Q2215264007ND
2022-05-26Q2215264009ND
2023-03-20Q2310438001ND
2023-03-20Q2310438003ND
2023-03-20Q2310438005ND
2023-03-20Q2310438007ND