http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/health/15table-fs.cfm



## Water: Human Health You are here: Water Science & Technology Surface Water Standards & Guidance Water Quality Standards Water Quality Criteria Human Health Human Health Criteria 

# Human Health Criteria Revised National Recommended Water Quality Cr iteria for the Protection of Human Health
Fact Sheet; December 2003 EPA is publishing 15 updated national recommen ded water qua lity criteria for the prot ection of human health:

• chlorobenzene • cyanide • 1,2-dichlorobenzene • 1,4-dichlorobenzene • 1,1-dichloroethylene • 1,3-dichloropropene • endrin • ethylbenzene • hexachlorocyclopentadiene • lindane • thallium • toluene • 1,2-transdichloroethylene • 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene • vinyl chloride These updated criteria are based on EPA's new methodology for deri ving human health wa ter quality criteria (i.e., the 2000 Huma n Health Methodology) and supercede criteria for these chemicals that the Agency had published earlier.

• What are human health water quality criteria? • How were the fifteen human health water quality criteria updated? • What are the updated human health water quality criteria? • Where can I find more information on the updated human health water quality criteria? 

## What are human health water quality criteria? Human health water quality criteria are numeric values that protect human health from the harmful effects of pollutants in ambi ent water. Under section 304(a) of the CWA, water quality criteria are based solely on data and scientific judgments about the relationship between pollutant concentration s and environmental and human health effects: they do not consider economic or social impacts. EPA's national recommende d water quality criteria are guidance to statesand authorized tribes in ad opting water quality standa rds in support of the CWA. They also provide guidance to EPA wh en it promulgates Fede ral regulations under th e CWA. They are not re gulations in th emselves and do not impose legally binding re quirements on EPA, states, authorized tribes or the public. 

## How were the fifteen human health water quality criteria updated? EPA revised the 15 human he alth water quality criter ia based on the Ag ency's methodology fo r deriving national recommended wate r quality criteria for the protection of human health (see Meth odology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health (2000), EPA-822-B- 00-004, October 2000). This methodology incorporates significant scientific advances made in the last two decades, particularly in the areas of cancer and noncancer ri sk assessments, exposure assessments, and methodologies to estimate bioaccumulation in fish. The updated water quality criteria integrate the national default freshwater/estuarine fish consumption rate of 17.5 grams/day. Thirteen of the criteria integrate a relative source contribution value from the national prim ary drinking water standards for the sa me chemicals. EPA also incorporated a new cance r potency factor for 1,3-dichloropropene and vinyl chloride and a new reference dose for 1,1-dichloroethylene, hexachlorocyclopentadiene, and lindane. These values have already been published in the Agency's Integrated Risk Information System. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) used in deriving today's criteria are consistent with t he BCFs used to promulgate human health water quality criteria for priority toxic pollutants in rules such as the 1992 National Toxics Rule and the 2000 California Toxics Ru le. 

## What are the updated human he alth water quality criteria? The following table presents the fifteen updated human health water quality criteria: Pollutant Human Health Criteria for Consumption of: Water + Organism (μg/L) Organism Only (μg/L) chlorobenzene 130 1,600 

# Page 1 of 2 Human Health Criteria | Human Health | US EP A

9 / 19 /201 5 http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/health/15tabl e -fs.cf mLast updated on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Pollutant Human Health Criteria for Consumption of: Water + Organism (μg/L) Organism Only (μg/L) cyanide 140 140 1,2-dichlorobenzene 420 1,300 1,4-dichlorobenzene 63 190 1,1-dichloroethylene 330 7,100 1,3-Dichloropropene 0.34 21 Endrin 0.059 0.060 Ethylbenzene 530 2,100 hexachlorocyclopentadiene 40 1,100 lindane (gamma-BHC) 0.98 1.8 thallium 0.24 0.47 toluene 1,300 15,000 1,2-transdichloroethylene 140 10,000 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene 35 70 vinyl chloride 0.025 2.4 

## Where can I find more information on the updated human health water quality criteria? For more informati on, contact Luis Cruz (cruz.luis@epa.gov), He alth and Ecological Criteria Division (4304 T), U.S. EPA, Ariel R ios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20460; (202) 566-1095. You can find the most current national recommended water quality criteria table

. EPA also established an official public do cket for this acti on (docket # EPA-HQ-OW-20 02-0054). The o fficial public docket conta ins the documents specifically referenced in this action, any scientific views received in response to the De cember 2002 Federal Register notice, and EPA's responses to the scientific views submitted by the public. 

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9 / 19 /201 5 http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/health/15tabl e -fs.cf m