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

Dec 6, 2002

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability of the revised 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 second publicly-released draft of the documents will be posted on the OEHHA Web site (www.oehha.ca.gov) on December 6, 2002.

A one-day public workshop was held on July 22, 2002, to discuss the scientific basis and recommendations in the draft technical support documents. Following the workshop, OEHHA has considered all the comments received and revised the documents, and is presently making them available for a 30-day public review and scientific comment period. Written comments must be received at OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. January 10, 2003, to be considered during the final revision of the documents. This second review and comment period is announced and published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and is posted on the OEHHA Web site. The responses to the major comments from the public at the workshop and during the public review and scientific comment periods will be available on the OEHHA Web site at final publication.

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