Standard setting processes and regulations for environmental contaminants in drinking water: State versus federal needs and viewpoints

Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0273-2300(91)90069-8· OSTI ID:6146660

Sidhu, K S ^[1]

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1. Interagency Center on Health and Environmental Quality, Michigan Department of Public Health, Lansing (United States)

The primary objective of a standard setting process is to arrive at a drinking water concentration at which exposure to a contaminant would result in no known or potential adverse health effect on human health. The drinking water standards also serve as guidelines to prevent pollution of water sources and may be applicable in some cases as regulatory remediation levels. The risk assessment methods along with various decision making parameters are used to establish drinking water standards. For carcinogens classified in Groups A and B by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) the standards are set by using nonthreshold cancer risk models. The linearized multistage model is commonly used for computation of potency factors for carcinogenic contaminants. The acceptable excess risk level may vary from 10(-6) to 10(-4). For noncarcinogens, a threshold model approach based on application of an uncertainty factor is used to arrive at a reference dose (RfD). The RfD approach may also be used for carcinogens classified in Group C by the USEPA. The RfD approach with an additional uncertainty factory of 10 for carcinogenicity has been applied in the formulation of risk assessment for Group C carcinogens. The assumptions commonly used in arriving at drinking water standards are human life expectancy, 70 years; average human body weight, 70 kg; human daily drinking water consumption, 2 liters; and contribution of exposure to the contaminant from drinking water (expressed as a part of the total environmental exposure), 20%. Currently, there are over 80 USEPA existing or proposed primary standards for organic and inorganic contaminants in drinking water. Some of the state versus federal needs and viewpoints are discussed.

• OSTI ID: 6146660
• Journal Information: Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology; (United States), Journal Name: Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology; (United States) Vol. 13:3; ISSN 0273-2300; ISSN RTOPD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
CARCINOGENS
CONTAMINATION
DECISION MAKING
DRINKING WATER
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RISK ASSESSMENT
STANDARDS
WATER
WATER QUALITY