UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION A~ENCY 

REaiON I 

April 11, 2016 

Paul Mercer, Commissioner 

5 POST OFFICE SQUARE SUITE :Z.OO 

t30STON, MASSACHUSETTS 02.:Z.Oq-3q:z.2 

Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

17 State House Station 

Augusta, ME 04333-0017 

Re: Withdrawal of Disapprovals, and Issuance of Approvals, of Maine's Human Health Criteria 

for Multiple Pollutants 

Dear Commissioner Mercer: 

On February 2, 2015, EPA disapproved Maine's new or revised human health criteria (HHC), 

set forth in DEP Rule Chapter 584, as they relate to waters in Indian lands in Maine. The 

disapprovals were based on EPA's conclusion that the HHC do not protect the sustenance 

fishing use in those waters because Maine's 32.4 g/day fish consumption rate (FCR) is not 

representative of an unsuppressed sustenance fish consumption rate by the tribes, who are the 

target general population in waters in Indian lands. 

In June 2015, EPA updated its Clean Water Act § 304(a) recommended criteria for human 

health for 94 pollutants (the 2015 criteria update).' For eighteen of those pollutants, calculating 

the HHC using the latest science reflected in the 2015 criteria update along with a FCR of 286 

g/day, which EPA believes represents an unsuppressed sustenance fish consumption rate for the 

tribes in Maine, results in HHC that are the same or less stringent than Maine's corresponding 

HHC that EPA disapproved for the consumption of water plus organisms and/or for the 

consumption of organisms alone, as shown in Table 1. Consequently, EPA has now concluded 

(1) that Maine's HHC for the consumption of water plus organisms for 1,2-dichloropropane, 

1 ,4-dichlorobenzene, dichlorobromomethane, chlorodibromomethane, chrysene, methylene 

chloride, nitrosopyrrolidine, chlorophenoxy herbicide (2, 4, 5-TP), and chlorophenoxy 

herbicide (2,4-D) are stringent enough to protect the sustenance fishing use; (2) that Maine's 

HHC for the consumption of organisms alone for acrolein and gamma-BHC (lindane) are 

stringent enough to protect the sustenance fishing use; and (3) that Maine's HHC for the 

consumption of water plus organisms as well as Maine's HHC for the consumption of 

organisms alone for 1 ,2-dichloroethane, acrylonitrile, benzidine, bis( chloromethyl) ether, 

1 Final Updated Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health, (80 FR 36986, June 29, 

2015). See also: USEPA. 2015. Final2015 Updated National Recommended Human Health Criteria. U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. 

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criterialcurrent/hhfinal.cfm. 
chloroform, methyl bromide, and tetrachloroethylene are stringent enough to protect the 

sustenance fishing use. 

Accordingly, pursuant to Section 303(c)(3) ofthe CWA and 40 C.F.R. part 131, for waters in 

Indian lands, I hereby withdraw the disapprovals of, and approve, Maine's HHC as follows: 

1) for the consumption of water plus organisms2 for 1 ,2-dichloropropane, 1,4-

dichlorobenzene, dichlorobromomethane, chlorodibromomethane, chrysene, 

methylene chloride, nitrosopyrrolidine, chlorophenoxy herbicide (2, 4, 5-TP), and 

chlorophenoxy herbicide (2,4-D); 

2) for the consumption of organisms alone3 for acrolein and garnma-BHC (lindane); 

and 

3) for both the consumption of water plus organisms and the consumption of 

organisms alone for 1 ,2-dichloroethane, acrylonitrile, benzidine, bis( chloromethyl) 

ether, chloroform, methyl bromide, and tetrachloroethylene. 

As explained above, EPA is taking these actions because the identified HHC are protective of 

the sustenance fishing use in the waters in Indian lands. 

Please contact Jeanne Voorhees in the Office of Ecosystem Protection at 617-918-1686 if you 

have any questions. 

J;?:& j) 

H. Curtis Spalding 

Regional Administrator 

cc: Brian Kavanah, MEDEP 

Jennifer Brundage, EPA SHPD 

Christina Christensen, EPA SHPD 

Jeanne Voorhees, EPA Region 1 

Jennie Bridge, EPA Region 1 

2 Note that for I ,2-dichloropropane, 1 ,4-dichlorobenzene, dichlorobromomethane, chlorodibromomethane, 

chrysene, methylene chloride, and nitrosopyrrolidine, EPA is not withdrawing its disapproval of the criteria to 

protect consumption of organisms only. 

3 Note that for these pollutants, EPA is not withdrawing its disapproval of the criteria to protect consumption of 

water and organisms. 

2 
Table l - Summary of Approved Human Health Criteria 

Water+ Organisms Criteria Organisms Only Criteria 

Pollutant CAS Number _(Jtg!L} (J.l~/L) 

Approved EPA 

Approved EPA Calculated Maine Calculated 

Maine Criteria Criteria* Criteria Criteria* 

I ,2-dichloropropane 78875 0.5 0.66 

I ,4-dichlorobenzene 106467 50 60 

d ich lorobromomethane 75274 0.53 0.66 

chlorodibromomethane 124481 0.40 0.54 

chrysene 2180 19 0.003 0.0098 

methylene chloride 75092 4.6 10 

n itrosopyrrol idine 930552 0.016 0.01 6 

chlorophenoxy herbicide (2, 4, 5-TP) 93721 10 30 

chlorophenoxy herbic ide (2,4-D) 94757 100 550 

acrolein 

I 

107028 I I ! 5.0 

I 

30 

gamma-BHC (lindane) 58899 0.1 0.33 

I ,2-dichloroethane 107062 0.38 8.4 19.8 48 

acrylonitrile 107131 0.04 0.055 0.13 0.52 

benzidine 92875 0.00006 0.00012 0.0001 0.00078 

bis(chloromethy1) ether 542881 0.000079 0.000 14 0.00016 0.0013 

chloroform 67663 5.4 50 94 200 

methyl bromide 74839 46 100 800 900 

tetrachloroethy lene 127184 0.59 1.9 1.77 2.1 

*EPA Calculated Criteria were derived using EPA's Methodology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health (2000) 

(EPA-822-B-00-004) and EPA's 2015 Human Health Criteria recommended inputs for these pollutants (see EPA ·s Fact Sheet (EPA 820-F-15-00 I) and June 

2015 input summary table at http://www.epa.gov/siteslproduction/files/20 15-1 0/documentslchemical-soecific-inputs-for-the-20 15-final-updatcd-humanhealth-ambient-water-gualitv-criteria-junc-20 15.pdf ), except for the fish consumption rate (FCR). The FCR used was 286 g/day, of which 36% was assumed 

to be consumed from trophic level 2, 40% from trophic level 3 and 24% from trophic level 4, consistent with the relative apportionment of fish consumed in 

EPA's 2015 recommendations.