Public Health Goals for Six Chemicals in Drinking Water

Mar 6, 2006

In accordance with Health and Safety Code Section 116293 (SB1822, Sher, Statutes of 2002), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) hereby publishes the final Public Health Goal (PHG) for cis/trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, radium-226 and –228, strontium-90, and tritium in drinking water. OEHHA has completed technical support documents that provide the scientific basis for the PHGs. The draft documents have undergone a public workshop and two public review and comment periods in fulfillment of the requirements of Health and Safety Code, Section 116365 and Section 57003 (SB 1082). They have been peer reviewed by the University of California and also by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The final documents incorporate changes in response to peer review and public comments, and the responses to major comments are also posted.

The PHG support documents estimate the level of each chemical in drinking water that would pose no significant health risk to individuals, including sensitive populations, consuming the water on a daily basis over a lifetime. PHGs represent health-protective goals based solely on public health considerations and are developed based on the best available data in the scientific literature. The documents provide the scientific basis for the California Department of Health Services (DHS) to establish a primary drinking water standard (state maximum contaminant level, or MCL). By law, DHS will consider economic factors and technical feasibility in setting the MCL. The PHG documents also provide relevant information on the chemicals to federal, state, and local public health officials.