Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Westside Rural Water Supply Corporation

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
2018-10-30Q1843596003ND
2018-10-30Q1843596006ND
2018-10-30Q1843596007ND
2018-10-30Q1843596002ND
2019-05-07Q1920849002ND
2019-05-07Q1920849004ND
2019-05-07Q1920849006ND
2019-05-07Q1920849008ND
2020-01-23Q2002763003ND
2020-01-23Q2002763005ND
2020-01-23Q2002763007ND
2020-01-23Q2002763009ND
2021-01-25Q2101699010ND
2021-01-25Q2101699016ND
2021-01-25Q2101699014ND
2021-01-25Q2101699012ND
2022-11-10Q2233973002ND
2022-11-10Q2233973004ND
2022-11-10Q2233973006ND
2022-11-10Q2233973008ND
2023-03-20Q2310439002ND
2023-06-21Q2323858001ND
2023-06-21Q2323858003ND
2023-06-21Q2323858005ND