Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Honaker, Town of

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.

 

27

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND60ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND50ND

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
2018-04-23E180307252ND
2018-08-22E180700419ND
2018-12-19E181001665ND
2018-12-27E181206857ND
2018-12-27E181206858ND
2018-12-27E181206859ND
2019-04-08E190308185ND
2019-08-21E190607897ND
2019-11-13E191004918ND
2019-11-13E191004917ND
2020-06-29E200305055ND
2020-07-28E200609584ND
2020-10-14E200905550ND
2020-10-14E200905537ND
2021-07-21E210608121ND
2021-10-12E211001126ND
2021-10-12E211001127ND
2021-12-13E211200845ND
2022-07-19E220609531ND
2022-10-11E221000058ND
2022-10-11E221000054ND
2022-10-11E221000052ND
2023-08-14E230705158ND
2023-09-12E230900046ND
2023-09-12E230900047ND
2023-09-12E230900048ND
2023-10-03E230907423ND