The Bush administration, under pressure from environmental groups and the public, has decided to adopt the Clinton era standard for arsenic in drinking water. Blocking Clinton's 10 parts per billion standard was one of the Bush administration's first official acts - one which President George W. Bush later admitted was a mistake.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Christie Whitman announced Wednesday that the new arsenic standard in drinking water will be 10 parts per billion (ppb), effective in 2006 - the same target date set by the previous Clinton administration.
When Whitman and the Bush administration blocked the enactment of the Clinton rule, they initiated a scientific review of the health and environmental risks of arsenic in drinking water. Whitman said at the time that there were indications that additional information was available that had not been considered previously, and asked for time to look at the new science and data that have come to light since a comprehensive 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences.
Whitman also asked that three expert panels review all the new and existing materials. The National Academy of Sciences looked at risk, the National Drinking Water Advisory Council examined costs to water systems throughout the nation and the EPA's Science Advisory Board assessed benefits.
Environmental and consumer groups, and some Congressional Democrats, charged that delaying the new arsenic standard for further study would unnecessarily endanger U.S. citizens. The 1999 NAS report, which linked a host of health problems to arsenic in drinking water, recommended prompt revision of the EPA's arsenic standard to protect the public's health.
The Bush administration came under harsh criticism for halting implementation of a rule designed to protect the American public. Faced with charges of that Bush favored keeping arsenic in drinking water, or cared more about costs to water suppliers than public health and safety, the administration rushed to complete its review and issue its own rule.
Whitman reiterated Wednesday that the additional study and consultation have not delayed the compliance date for implementing a new standard for arsenic in 2006.
Many groups urged the administration to set the new standard even lower, perhaps to the five ppb standard recommended by the World Health Organization.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says the EPA has failed to keep its pledge to base its decision on "sound science." The National Academy of Sciences report ordered by the EPA, and issued last month, concluded that arsenic is "more hazardous than earlier thought," and exposure to even small amounts could lead to an increased risk of lung and bladder cancers.
NRDC had urged the agency to adopt a new rule of three parts per billion, the lowest level that EPA studies show is technically and economically feasible to achieve. That standard still presents cancer risks 10 times higher than the level EPA considers acceptable in regulating other water contaminants.
The environmental group says the EPA received more than 57,000 public comments calling for a three parts per billion standard.
Earlier this month, water suppliers testified before Congress that enacting such a standard would carry a prohibitive cost.
The National Rural Water Association, representing more than 20,000 small communities, estimates that the 10 ppb standard could cost households an additional $100 to $500 per year. Almost 97 percent of the water systems affected by the new rule are small systems that serve less than 10,000 people each. The EPA plans to provide $20 million over the next two years for the research and development of more cost effective technologies.
The National Rural Water Association, representing more than 20,000 small communities, estimates that the 10 ppb standard could cost households an additional $100 to $500 per year. Almost 97 percent of the water systems affected by the new rule are small systems that serve less than 10,000 people each. The EPA plans to provide $20 million over the next two years for the research and development of more cost effective technologies.
The National Rural Water Association, representing more than 20,000 small communities, estimates that the 10 ppb standard could cost households an additional $100 to $500 per year. Almost 97 percent of the water systems affected by the new rule are small systems that serve less than 10,000 people each. The EPA plans to provide $20 million over the next two years for the research and development of more cost effective technologies.
The National Rural Water Association, representing more than 20,000 small communities, estimates that the 10 ppb standard could cost households an additional $100 to $500 per year.
Almost 97 percent of the water systems affected by the new rule are small systems that serve less than 10,000 people each. The EPA plans to provide $20 million over the next two years for the research and development of more cost effective technologies.:
