Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Othello Water Department

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)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND20ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND50ND
2022ND80ND
2023ND20ND

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
2018-12-13ND
2019-06-18ND
2019-07-08ND
2021-03-314102279ND
2021-08-114169236ND
2021-08-114169108ND
2021-10-134202781ND
2021-10-134202782ND
2022-03-154263100ND
2022-06-024298828ND
2022-06-084298813ND
2022-06-084298812ND
2022-08-084335854ND
2022-09-064364663ND
2022-09-064364651ND
2022-10-064364641ND
2023-04-174448578ND
2023-06-124499780ND