Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Whitworth Water District 2

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.

 

29

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND130ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND30ND
2022ND110ND
2023ND10ND

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
2018-03-20ND
2019-04-18ND
2019-04-18ND
2019-04-18ND
2019-04-18ND
2019-05-09ND
2019-05-21ND
2019-05-21ND
2019-05-28ND
2019-05-28ND
2019-05-28ND
2019-05-28ND
2019-06-18ND
2019-06-21ND
2021-03-184094088ND
2021-07-084138074ND
2021-10-284196693ND
2022-01-244236842ND
2022-03-314261610ND
2022-04-214272384ND
2022-04-214272380ND
2022-05-184288406ND
2022-06-274309800ND
2022-06-274309802ND
2022-07-144309809ND
2022-07-144309808ND
2022-07-144309807ND
2022-10-114356380ND
2023-04-274452170ND