Announcement of Publication of Updated Public Health Goal and Technical Support Document for 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane in Drinking Water

Jul 17, 2020

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the publication of the updated Public Health Goal (PHG) for 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). 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 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 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 of 0.5 ppb for noncancer health effects of DBCP.

A companion document, also available for download, contains responses to comments received from external scientific peer reviewers in October 2019. OEHHA has evaluated those comments and revised the technical support document as appropriate. No comments were received during the two public comment periods that ended in May 2019 and June 2020.

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