Update of the Mercury (Inorganic) Public Health Goal

Under the Calderon-Sher California Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) develops public health goals (PHGs) for regulated chemicals in drinking water and reviews and updates the risk assessments every five years (Health and Safety Code Section 116365(e)(1). This memorandum represents an update of the literature review and reevaluation of the existing PHG for inorganic mercury (OEHHA, 1999). Our re-evaluation supports the previous PHG derivation in 1999. We conclude that the PHG for inorganic mercury should remain at 1.2 ppb.