Chlorine Group Takes Issue with New EPA Rules

In a recent statement the Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC) said it is in general agreement with the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule and the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, both just published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These new rules are intended to prevent increases in waterborne diseases from high-risk bacteria and viruses while reducing disinfection byproduct (DBP) levels in drinking water.

The CCC remains troubled by the EPA's failure to follow the Safe Drinking Water Act's (SDWA) requirement to use the "best available peer-reviewed science" in setting Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG). In particular, by setting an MCLG of zero for chloroform, the CCC believes the Agency has ignored the scientific weight of evidence and the last 20 years of peer-reviewed research.

Last March, the EPA proposed an MCLG of 300 parts per billion based on peer-reviewed results. The Agency's subsequent retreat from the SDWA's requirement and sound science misdirects attention and resources away from emerging waterborne diseases and other disinfection byproducts with higher risks, according to the CCC.

The Council strongly supports the use of the "best available peer-reviewed science" as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the use of this scientific knowledge in setting a chloroform MCLG. The CCC can be contacted at 703-741-5827.