Trichloroethylene (TCE) in Tap Water
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile organic compound used as an industrial degreaser and solvent. It is a common groundwater contaminant near industrial and defense sites.
Discharge from metal-degreasing and manufacturing operations; persists in groundwater plumes.
- 1Industrial degreasing
- 2Manufacturing discharge
- 3Legacy solvent disposal
Most affected: Pregnant people and developing children; anyone on an affected system long-term.
A result is read with its context
This contaminant is tracked through federal and state compliance monitoring. TCE plumes can persist for decades, so historical industrial sites are a useful context clue. PurityMap does not yet publish a per-system measured value for Trichloroethylene (TCE); this page is a reference explainer. To learn what is in your own water, check your utility’s Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) or use a certified home test.
- Above reference
- Evidence exceeds a reference level.
- Detected
- This substance was found in the monitoring record. Being present is not the same as being above a reference level, and this signal does not say which.
- Not detected
- Somebody looked and the laboratory reported nothing above its reporting limit. This is a result, and it is not the same as nobody looking.
- Not monitored
- No sampling for this substance has been reported for this system. Nothing is known either way, and an empty row is not a clean one.
1 city with a health-based violation
A violation is a past event with a status, from the federal compliance record (EPA SDWIS, since 2016). It does not describe the water today.
PurityMap does not yet publish a per-system measured value for trichloroethylene (TCE). Check your utility’s Consumer Confidence Report, or use a certified home test.
What can carry a trichloroethylene (TCE) reduction claim
- Activated carbon (GAC)
Highly porous adsorption media targeting chlorine, disinfection byproducts, volatile organic compounds, and organic chemicals.
- Packed-tower aeration (air stripping)
- Reverse osmosis
Semi-permeable membrane separation removing dissolved minerals, heavy metals, and persistent fluorinated chemicals down to 0.0001 microns.
Boiling does not remove a dissolved chemical compound and can concentrate it. Many pitcher and refrigerator filters carry no verified claim for a compound like this at all.
A finding establishes the need, the need names the capability, the capability requires a verified certification. No product appears before that sequence completes. Filter Finder →
Frequently asked
Answers cite the same records as the page. How PurityMap analyzes water data
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile organic compound used as an industrial degreaser and solvent. It is a common groundwater contaminant near industrial and defense sites.
The enforceable federal limit is 0.005 mg/L / 5 µg/L (MCL). The health-based goal (MCLG) is 0. PurityMap reads every measurement against its stated benchmark and never sets its own.
Industrial degreasing, Manufacturing discharge, Legacy solvent disposal.
TCE is classified as carcinogenic to humans and is associated with liver, kidney, immune, and developmental effects. Because of the cancer risk, the health goal is zero. It is volatile, so it can also enter indoor air from contaminated groundwater.
Treatment technologies commonly certified to reduce Trichloroethylene (TCE) include Activated carbon (GAC), Packed-tower aeration (air stripping), Reverse osmosis. Match the exact certified claim to your water before buying. Holding a format is not the same as holding the claim.
In the federal compliance record (EPA SDWIS, since 2016), 1 city in PurityMap's record across 1 state had a water system measure Trichloroethylene (TCE) above the legal limit, most recently in 2024, including Oxford, AL. Each violation is a past event with a published status, not a description of the water today.