No Paradise: Water Contamination Demonstrates Importance of Safe Piping

After the tragic Camp Fire in Paradise, California, the region’s drinking water became contaminated when heat-damaged plastic pipes leached chemicals into the water supply. Testing found high amounts of benzene, above 500 parts per billion (ppb) in the water, grossly higher than CA’s limit of 1 ppb.

Additional water testing found methylene chloride at levels more than five times the safe limit. Methylene chloride has been linked to cancer, cognitive impairment, and asphyxiation. In Paradise, methylene chloride began to appear in dangerously high levels in drinking water in buildings where benzene was not found. 

Find more details on the new findings at undark.org