From: Nigel.Allen@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen)
Subject: NRDC Criticizes Domenici Plan to Gut Drinking Water Protections
Organization: Echo Beach
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 02:15:46 GMT

Here is a press release from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

 NRDC Criticizes Domenici Plan to Gut Drinking Water Protections
 To: National Desk, Environment Writer
 Contact Erik Olson or Sarah Silver of the Natural Resources Defense
         Council, 202-783-7800

   WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A Senate proposal to
curtail federal regulation of toxic pollutants in the U.S. drinking
water supply could result in the exposure of more than 100 million
Americans to numerous contaminants including PCBs, nitrates and
cancer-causing pesticides, according to the Natural Resources Defense
Council, a non-profit national environmental organization.
   The proposal, by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and several Senate
colleagues, is scheduled to be offered as an amendment to the
Environmental Protection Agency's Appropriations bill on Tuesday,
Sept. 8.
   "This plan constitutes a giant step backward in our effort to
provide safe drinking water for all Americans," said Erik Olson, NRDC
senior attorney.  "When found in drinking water at levels above
current standards, the chemicals affected by this proposal pose
significant public health risks."
   "The senator has taken a meat axe to a problem that requires a
scalpel.  This proposal began as an effort to assist very small
communities that found it hard to pay for the regulatory requirements
of the Safe Drinking Water Act," Olson explained.  "A bad idea to
exempt very small communities from some Safe Drinking Water Act rules
became a terrible plan to eliminate dozens of rules for every U.S.
public drinking water system."
   NRDC supports the development of a funding mechanism to allow
small communities to achieve the public health goals of the Safe
Drinking Water Act without pinching their local budgets.
   Domenici's proposal would place a moratorium on regulation of more
than 50 chemicals with known and potential human health risks.  It
would eliminate several regulations, on the books since the 1970s,
for a number of dangerous chemicals.  While Domenici's proposal would
allow EPA to re-regulate certain of these contaminants, this process
likely would take many years.
   Also, Domenici's proposal would erect roadblocks to EPA's
regulation of other major toxic and radioactive chemicals, such as
cancer-causing "disinfection by-products."  A recent study of actual
human cancer cases concludes that about 10,700 cases of colon and
rectal cancer per year may be linked to these chemicals in drinking
water.
  The following is a complete list of affected contaminants:

  DRINKING WATER CONTAMINANTS CURRENTLY REGULATED BY EPA SUBJECT TO
               DOMENICI-BROWN-NICKLES BILL MORATORIUM

 Contaminant                  Potential Health Risk to Humans
 -----------                  -------------------------------
 Acrylamide                   Cancer, damage to nervous system
 Alachlor                     Cancer
 Antimony                     Decreased life span
 Asbestos                     Tumors
 Atrazine                     Reproductive and cardiac damage
 Benzo-a-pyrene               Cancer
 Beryllium                    Cancer, damage to tissues
 Carbofuran                   Nervous and reproductive damage
 Chlordane                    Cancer
 Copper                       Stomach and intestinal distress;
                              Wilson's disease
 Cyanide                      Poisoning, tremors, convulsions,
                              death
 Dalapon                      Damage to kidneys
 DBCP                         Cancer
 Di (2-ethylhexyl) adipate    Damage to liver
 Dichlorobenzene o-           Damage to lungs, liver, kidney,
                              nervous system
 Dichoroethylene              Damage to liver, circulatory, and
  (cis-1,2-)                  nervous systems
 Dichloroethylene             Damage to liver, circulatory, and
  (trans-1,2-)                nervous systems
 Dichloromethane              Cancer, damage to nervous system,
                              heart, lungs
 Dichloropropane              Cancer; liver, lungs, and kidney
                              damage
 Dinoseb                      Thyroid problems, degeneration of
                              testes, others
 Dioxin                       Cancer
 Di (2-ethylhexyl)            Cancer; liver, kidney, and testicular
  phthalate                   damage
 Diquat                       Kidney and gastrointestinal problems/
                              dehydration, cataracts
 Endothall                    Damage to organs and reproductive
                              system
 Endrin                       Convulsions; tremors, ataxia, others
 Epichlorohydrin              Cancer; liver, lungs, and kidney
                              damage
 Ethylbenzene                 Kidney, liver, and nervous system
                              damage
 Ethylene Dibromide           Cancer
 Glyphosate                   Damage to reproductive system
 Heptachlor                   Cancer
 Heptachlor epoxide           Cancer
 Hexachlorobenzene            Cancer; liver, kidney, and ovary
                              damage
 HEX (Hexachloro-
  cyclopentadiene)            Damage to stomach and kidneys
 Monochlorobenzene            Kidney, liver, and nervous system
                              damage
 Nickel                       Heart, liver, other damage
 Oxamyl (vydate)              Decreased body weight
 Pentachlorophenol            Cancer; liver and kidney damage
 Picloram                     Damage to liver
 Polychlorinated
  byphenols (PCBs)            Cancer
 Simazine                     Cancer; shortened life, blood
                              problems
 Styrene                      Liver and nervous system damage
 Tetrachloroethylene          Cancer
 Thallium                     Damage to liver, kidney, and brain
 Toluene                      Lung, kidney, and nervous system
                              damage
 Trichlorobenzene             Convulsions, brain, liver, kidney,
                              adrenal damage
 Trichloroethane              Cancer; damage to liver, gastric,
                              nervous, and circulatory systems
 Xylene                       Liver, kidney, and nervous system
                              damage
 Barium                       Circulatory system damage*
 Cadmium                      Kidney damage*
 Chromium                     Damage to liver, kidneys, other
                              systems*
 Endrin                       Damage to nervous system and kidney*
 Lead                         Central nervous system damage; highly
                              toxic to infants and pregnant women*
 Lindane                      Damage to liver, kidney, and nervous
                              system*
 Methoxychlor                 Nervous system, liver, and kidney
                              damage*
 Nitrate                      Methemoglobinemia ("Blue-baby
                              syndrome")*
 2, 4-D                       Liver, kidney, and nervous system
                              damage*
 Silvex                       Liver, kidney, and nervous system
                              damage*

 * Regulation of these contaminants date to late 1970s.

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