Second Public Comment Period for the Proposed Public Health Goal for Arsenic in Drinking Water

Nov 7, 2003

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency previously made available the first Draft Technical Support Document for a Proposed Public Health Goal (PHG) for Arsenic in Drinking Water. This draft document was posted on the OEHHA Web site on March 7, 2003. A one-day public workshop was held on May 2, 2003, to discuss the scientific basis of the proposed PHG. OEHHA follows the requirements set forth in Health and Safety Code, Sections 57003 and 116365, for conducting the workshop and receiving public input.

Following the workshop and public comment period, OEHHA evaluated all the comments received, and completed a revised draft technical support document proposing a PHG for arsenic in drinking water. OEHHA will submit the notice for a second comment period to be published in the California Regulatory Notice Register (CRNR) on November 7, 2003. Written comments regarding the revised risk assessment must be received at OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on December 8, 2003, to be considered. The responses to the significant comments from the public and scientific reviewers will be available on the OEHHA Web site upon publication of the final risk assessment for arsenic.

The Public Health Goal (PHG) technical support documents provide information on the health effects of contaminants in drinking water. The PHG is a level of drinking water contaminant at which adverse health effects are not expected to occur from a lifetime of exposure. The California Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 (Health and Safety Code Section 116361(a), enacted January 2001, requires OEHHA to develop a PHG for arsenic in drinking water. PHGs published by OEHHA will be considered by the California Department of Health Services as the health basis for the development of the drinking water standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic.

If you would like to receive further information on this announcement or have questions, please contact our office at the address below:

Cal/EPA-OEHHA-PETB
Water Toxicology
P.O. Box 4010
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010
(916) 324-7572