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ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY UPDATE ARTICLES
REVIEW PANEL EXPECTED
TO CAST DOUBT
ON PROPOSED ARSENIC STANDARD
An upcoming report by an
independent panel of scientists is expected to cast doubt on EPA’s
proposed revisions to its drinking water standard for arsenic, and may add
to the arsenal of industry and municipal pressure to change the standard.
A discussion draft of the upcoming report, written by the panel, expresses
concerns regarding the proposed standard of 5 parts per billion (ppb),
which sources say stem from uncertainties in the risk data the agency used
to set the standard, as well as flaws in the agency’s cost
determination.
The Science Advisory
Board’s (SAB) Drinking Water Committee (DWC) met in late summer to
discuss final revisions to a report the committee is developing concerning
EPA’s proposed reduction of the maximum contamination level (MCL) for
arsenic from 50 ppb to 5 ppb. The SAB was established by Congress to
provide independent scientific and engineering advice to EPA on the
technical basis for agency regulations.
One source familiar with
the issue says that most committee members are coming to the conclusion
that "it’s difficult to believe 5 parts per billion: is the
defensible standard because of uncertainties in the risk data EPA used to
arrive at the proposed standard.
The draft raises concerns
about a Taiwanese study, which is one of the studies EPA used to arrive at
its proposed MCL. According to the draft, the portion of the Taiwanese
population that made up the study area had significantly different
nutritional and socioeconomic conditions from the rest of Taiwan and from
the United States. Due to these and similar concerns, the draft recommends
that EPA sponsor its own formal risk assessment for arsenic.
The draft notes,
"The DWC also has some reservations related to the agency’s cost
projection for the arsenic rule."
(Superfund Report,
9/4/00) | 
