Second Public Review Draft 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane in Drinking Water
Announcement of Availability of a Second Public Review Draft Technical Support Document for Proposed Updated Public Health Goal for 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane in Drinking Water
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the availability of the revised draft technical support document for the proposed updated Public Health Goal (PHG) for 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) in drinking water. A PHG is the level of a 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[1] requires OEHHA to develop PHGs based exclusively on public health considerations.[2] PHGs published by OEHHA are considered by the State Water Resources Control Board in setting drinking water standards (Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs) for California.[3]
The draft technical support document, available for download below, presents the scientific information available on the toxicity of DBCP and the calculation of the updated PHG. The proposed updated PHG of 0.003 parts per billion (ppb) is based on carcinogenicity and is set at a level of risk of one additional cancer case per one million persons exposed over a 70-year lifetime. OEHHA also presents a health-protective drinking water concentration for noncancer health effects of DBCP.
The initial draft technical support document was released for a 45-day public comment period in March 2019, in which no comments were received. Subsequently, an external scientific peer review was completed in October 2019. OEHHA has changed the proposed updated PHG from 0.002 ppb in the initial draft to 0.003 ppb in the second draft, based on re-evaluation of cancer risk data following comments from scientific peer reviewers. This would represent a small increase from the current PHG of 0.0017 ppb, which has been in place since 1999. The draft technical support document is being released for a second public comment that begins May 29, 2020 and ends June 29, 2020.
The public is encouraged to submit written comments via OEHHA’s website, rather than in paper form. Comments may be submitted electronically through the following link: https://oehha.ca.gov/comments.
Hard-copy comments may be mailed to the address below. Any written comments concerning this draft PHG document, regardless of the form or method of transmission, must be received by the PHG program by June 29, 2020 to be considered.
Following the second public comment period, OEHHA will evaluate all the comments received, and revise the document as appropriate. After any subsequent revisions, the final document will be posted on the OEHHA website along with responses to the external peer review comments and to major comments received during the two public comment periods.
If you would like to receive further information on this announcement or have questions, please contact Hermelinda Jimenez at PHG.Program@oehha.ca.gov or at (916) 324-7572. Written inquiries can also be addressed to:
Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology Branch
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
California Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 4010, MS-12B
Sacramento, California 95812-4010
Attention: PHG Program
- Comment Submissions - Announcement of Availability of a Second Public Review Draft Technical Support Document for Proposed Updated Public Health Goal for 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane in Drinking Water
Link to Public Comments
- 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane