Public Health Goals (PHGs)

What Is a Public Health Goal?
A PHG is the level of a chemical contaminant in drinking water that does not pose a significant risk to health. PHGs are not regulatory standards. However, state law requires SWRCB to set drinking water standards for chemical contaminants as close to the corresponding PHG as is economically and technologically feasible. In some cases, it may not be feasible for SWRCB to set the drinking water standard for a contaminant at the same level as the PHG. The technology to treat the chemicals may not be available, or the cost of treatment may be very high. SWRCB must consider these factors when developing a drinking water standard.

How Does OEHHA Establish a Public Health Goal?
The process for establishing a PHG for a chemical contaminant in drinking water is very rigorous. OEHHA scientists first compile all relevant scientific information available, which includes studies of the chemical's effects on laboratory animals and studies of humans who have been exposed to the chemical. The scientists use data from these studies to perform a health risk assessment, in which they determine the levels of the contaminant in drinking water that could be associated with various adverse health effects. When calculating a PHG, OEHHA uses all the information it has compiled to identify the level of the chemical in drinking water that would not cause significant adverse health effects in people who drink that water every day for 70 years. OEHHA must also consider any evidence of immediate and severe health effects when setting the PHG.

For cancer‐causing chemicals, OEHHA typically establishes the PHG at the “one‐in‐one million” risk level. At that level, not more than one person in a population of one million people drinking the water daily for 70 years would be expected to develop cancer as a result of exposure to that chemical.