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Public Workshop for Draft Public Health Goals for 25 Chemicals in Drinking Water

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) announces a public workshop to discuss the scientific basis and recommendations for 25 draft technical support documents for Public Health Goals (PHGs) for chemicals in drinking water. This two-day workshop will be held October 15 and 16, 1997 at the California Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall, room 150, Sacramento, California. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day, and will last until all business for the day has been conducted or until 4:45 p.m. In addition, a public review and scientific comment period will begin September 26, 1997 and end October 20, 1997.

 PHGs for the following chemicals will be discussed at the workshop on October 15: antimony, benzo[a]pyrene, chlordane, cyanide, dalapon, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, dinoseb, endothall, ethylbenzene, trichlorofluoromethane, trichlorotrifluoroethane, and uranium.

 PHGs for the following chemicals will be discussed on October 16: alachlor, copper, diethylhexylphthalate, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, fluoride, glyphosate, lead, nitrate and nitrite (3 PHG values), oxamyl, pentachlorophenol, picloram, and xylenes.

 The workshop will be conducted in accordance with Health and Safety Code Section 57003 (a) and is planned to encourage a constructive dialogue between OEHHA scientists and the public, to discuss the PHG recommendations and to receive comments.

 Following the workshop, OEHHA will revise the documents, as appropriate, and make them available for a 30-day public review and scientific comment period. This second review and comment period will be published in the California Regulatory Notice Register at a future date.

 The PHG technical support documents provide information on the health effects from contaminants in drinking water. PHGs are levels of drinking water contaminants 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) requires OEHHA to adopt PHGs based exclusively on public health considerations. PHGs adopted by OEHHA will be considered by the California Department of Health Services in establishing drinking water standards (State Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs). PHGs are not enforceable and do not impose a regulatory burden on public water systems.

Oral and written comments received at the workshop will be considered during revision of the documents. In addition, written comments must be received by OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. October 20, 1997, to be considered during the revision of the documents. If you would like to receive further information on this workshop, or have questions, please contact OEHHA at the address below:

Cal/EPA-OEHHA-PETB
Water Toxicology
P.O. Box 4010
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010
(916) 324-7572

[Update] The documents have been finalized and can be found here.