Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Benzene

Rothschild Waterworks

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.

 

16

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND50ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND10ND
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
2018-03-131044837ND
2018-06-191062274ND
2018-06-191062272ND
2018-09-111079505ND
2018-11-131092763ND
2019-04-231116903ND
2019-05-071119529ND
2019-08-271144005ND
2019-08-271144003ND
2019-10-291157914ND
2020-08-101205736ND
2020-08-101205729ND
2021-08-031269115ND
2022-07-191324684ND
2023-05-22CB05354-03ND
2023-08-28CB10306-02ND