Nickel Draft Public Health Goal
Second Posting of Draft Technical Support Documents for Proposed Public Health Goals for 12 Chemicals in Drinking Water
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability of a second draft of 12 draft technical support documents for Public Health Goals (PHGs) for chemicals in drinking water. The first draft of these documents has been posted on the OEHHA web site (www.oehha.ca.gov) since October 8, 1999. In addition, a one-day public workshop was held November 5, 1999, at the auditorium in the Elihu Harris Building, 1515 Clay Street, Oakland, California to discuss the scientific basis and recommendations in the draft documents. OEHHA follows the requirements set forth in Health and Safety Code Sections 57003(a) and 116365 for the workshop and public input. Oral and written comments received at the workshop have been considered during revision of the documents. After the public input and the workshop, OEHHA has incorporated major comments received by November 5, 1999, and is providing the revised draft for review.
PHGs are proposed for the following 12 chemicals: aluminum, benzene, carbofuran, carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, diquat, nickel, simazine, tetrachloroethylene, thiobencarb, uranium, and vinyl chloride. Note: only the draft PHGs for aluminum, nickel, and uranium are available.
As indicated in the previous announcement, the workshop was planned to encourage a dialogue between OEHHA scientists and the public, to discuss the PHG recommendations and to receive comments. Following the workshop, OEHHA revised the documents as appropriate, and is making them available for a 30-day public review and scientific comment period. This second review and comment period is published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on the OEHHA web site.
The PHG technical support documents provide information on the health effects of 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).
Written comments received by the end of the 30-day period will be considered during revision of the documents. Written comments must be received at OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. March 15, 2000, to be considered during the final revision of the documents. If you would like to receive further information on this announcement or have questions, please contact our office at (510) 622-3170 or the address below. Written comments should be addressed to:
Cal/EPA-OEHHA-PETB
Water Toxicology
P.O. Box 4010
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010
(916) 324-7572
[Update] Draft PHG Technical Support Documents have been finalized and can be found here.