Methylene Chloride in Drinking Water
EPA limits, health effects, and what to do if your water is affected.
🩨 Health Effects
Long-term exposure causes liver damage and increased cancer risk. Methylene chloride metabolizes in the body to carbon monoxide, which can cause adverse cardiovascular effects.
📍 Sources in Water
Used as a paint stripper, metal degreaser, and pharmaceutical manufacturing solvent. Enters water from industrial discharge and improper waste disposal near water sources.
✅ What To Do
Activated carbon and reverse osmosis can remove methylene chloride. Violations in public water systems are uncommon.
📜 Regulation History
The EPA set the methylene chloride MCL at 0.005 mg/L (5 ppb) in 1987 under the Phase I VOC rule. Methylene chloride is classified as a probable human carcinogen. The WHO guideline is 0.02 mg/L, less strict than the US standard.
🔬 How To Test Your Water
Certified lab tests for methylene chloride cost $50-$100 using EPA Method 524.2 (purge-and-trap GC/MS). Home test kits are not available. Testing is most relevant if you live near industrial or manufacturing sites that may use solvents.
💧 Which Filters Remove Methylene Chloride?
Granular activated carbon (GAC) filters can remove methylene chloride, though it is less strongly adsorbed than other VOCs. Aeration/air stripping is effective at the municipal level. Reverse osmosis also provides reduction. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 certification for VOC removal.
🔗 Related Contaminants
Check your tap water for Methylene Chloride
Search your ZIP code to see if your water system has had Methylene Chloride violations, plus lead testing results and an overall safety grade.
Search your ZIP code →Data from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). MCLs reflect minimum federal standards; some contaminants may pose health risks below these thresholds.