Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Whitworth Water District 2

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.

 

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: 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
2018-03-20ND
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
2022-04-214272380ND
2022-04-214272384ND
2022-05-184288406ND
2022-06-274309802ND
2022-06-274309800ND
2022-07-144309808ND
2022-07-144309807ND
2022-07-144309809ND
2022-10-114356380ND
2023-04-274452170ND