Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Lakehaven Utility District

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.

 

22

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND100ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND60ND
2022ND20ND
2023N/A00N/A

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
2018-05-15ND
2018-06-19ND
2018-07-10ND
2018-07-10ND
2019-06-05ND
2019-06-05ND
2019-06-12ND
2019-06-12ND
2019-07-23ND
2019-07-31ND
2019-08-27ND
2019-09-03ND
2019-09-04ND
2019-10-30ND
2021-05-254122783ND
2021-05-254122783ND
2021-05-254122783ND
2021-07-134149400ND
2021-07-134149400ND
2021-09-144178936ND
2022-01-254234480ND
2022-01-254248102ND