Announcement of Public Workshop and Comment Period for 11 Draft Technical Support Documents for Proposed Public Health Goals for Chemicals in Drinking Water

May 30, 2002

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability of the draft technical support documents for a proposed Public Health Goal (PHG) for each of the following eleven (11) chemicals in drinking water: asbestos, barium, beryllium, chlorobenzene, 1,1-dichloroethane, diethylhexyl adipate, ethylene dibromide, hexachlorobenzene, silvex, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, and toxaphene. This first publicly-released draft of the documents will be posted on the OEHHA Web site (www.oehha.ca.gov) on June 3, 2002. In addition, a one-day public workshop will be held on July 22, 2002, at the Elihu Harris Building, 1515 Clay Street, First Floor, Oakland, California to discuss the scientific basis and recommendations in the draft technical support documents. The workshop will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will last until all business for the day is concluded or 4:30 p.m. OEHHA follows the requirements set forth in Health and Safety Code, Sections 57003(a) and 116365, for conducting the workshop and obtaining public input.

The workshop is planned to encourage a dialogue between OEHHA scientists and the public, to discuss the PHG recommendations and to receive comments. Following the workshop, OEHHA will revise the documents as appropriate, and make them available for a 30-day public review and scientific comment period. This second review and comment period will be announced and published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on the OEHHA Web site. The responses to the major comments from the public at the workshop and during the two public review and scientific comment periods, as well as from peer reviewers at the University of California system and state and federal agencies, will also be available on the OEHHA Web site at final publication.

Oral and written comments received at the workshop will be considered during the revision of the draft technical support documents. Written comments must be received at OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. July 22, 2002, to be considered during this first revision of the documents.

The 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 116365), amended 1999, requires OEHHA to develop PHGs based exclusively on public health considerations. PHGs published by OEHHA will be considered by the California Department of Health Services in setting drinking water standards (Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs).

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