[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18403-18404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8875]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5188-9]


Notice of Public Meetings on Drinking Water Issues--Regulatory 
Reassessment and Determination of Maximum Contaminant Level Goals

    Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is holding additional meetings related to the reassessment 
of the priorities for regulating drinking water contaminants and to the 
determination of Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) used in 
setting National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. These public 
meetings are follow-up meetings to the initial meetings held by EPA on 
March 13 and 14, 1995. Additional information about the initial and 
upcoming meetings may be obtained from the EPA contact persons provided 
below.
    The purpose of the meetings is to provide EPA with ideas, 
suggestions and options related to priorities for regulating drinking 
water contaminants and determination of MCLGs. Information received by 
EPA during these meetings can serve as the basis for strategic 
decisions on program directions and resource allocations.
    Alternatively or in addition to attending any particular meeting, 
members of the public may submit written comments to the EPA contact 
person for up to fifteen days after the meeting. General questions 
about the meeting process should be directed to the designated EPA 
contact person.

Meetings on Determination of MCLGS

    EPA is seeking stakeholder views on revisiting the methodology for 
determining MCLGs for drinking water, including the Agency's current 
policy of setting zero goals for carcinogens. In regulating drinking 
water contaminants that may cause adverse health effects, EPA sets non-
enforceable MCLGs to protect against these effects, incorporating a 
margin of safety. EPA also sets a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), 
which is enforceable and may be less stringent than the MCLG depending 
on feasibility and cost.
    Several activities planned or ongoing may improve the 
characterization of the variability and uncertainty associated with the 
risk assessment for a contaminant. These include noncancer risk 
assessment methodologies such as the benchmark approach and categorical 
regression models, revision of the Agency's Cancer Risk Assessment 
Guidelines, revision of the relative source contribution policy, 
evaluation of risk assessment methods for chemical mixtures and 
development of a risk characterization policy.
    The first meeting of this subject area was held on March 14, 1995. 
The schedule of the additional four meetings are provided below, along 
with the topics for discussion for each meeting. To obtain additional 
information including background issue papers for each meeting, 
interested persons may reach the EPA contact person, Jennifer Orme-
Zavaleta, at 202-260-7571. The meetings will be held at 2828 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 402, Washington, D.C.
    (1) April 12-13, 1995, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day: Cancer 
and noncancer risk assessment discussion

--Some of the topics to be discussed include revision of the Cancer 
Risk Assessment Guidelines, setting the Reference Dose (RfD) as a 
range, quantitative risk assessment approaches for carcinogens and 
noncarcinogens.

    (2) April 27-28, 1995, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day: 
Exposure discussion

--Some of the topics to be discussed include the Relative Source 
Contribution policy, consideration of sensitive subgroups, dermal and 
volatilization routes and chemical mixtures/interaction.

    (3) May 9-10, 1995, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day: Zero MCLG 
Policy for carcinogens, benefits assessment for carcinogens and 
noncarcinogens, and risk characterization discussion.
    (4) May 22-23, 1995, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day: 
Microbiological risk assessment and wrap up.

--Some topics to be discussed include occurrence, dose-response 
analysis, exposure and hazard assessment.

Meetings on Regulatory Reassessment

    Meetings under this subject area will provide EPA with stakeholder 
input on priorities for regulating drinking water contaminants. The 
first meeting of the Regulatory Reassessment subject area was held on 
March 13, 1995. At that meeting, stakeholders agreed to prioritize 
contaminants scheduled for future drinking water regulation. Each 
member of the group will do individual rankings and share those 
rankings with other members of the group. Rankings will be high/medium/
low. Stakeholders will identify which factors were most significant in 
their ranking and what additional information they believe is important 
to issue a regulation. EPA staff will assemble the information and 
provide it to EPA management in order to develop a priority listing of 
future drinking water regulations.
    The first group of contaminants to be ranked are: (1) 
disinfectants/disinfection byproducts/surface water microbial 
contaminants, (2) ground water microbial contaminants, (3) arsenic, (4) 
radon, and (5) other radionuclides. Rankings for these contaminants 
will begin to be discussed at the next public meeting, scheduled for 
April 10-11. Other contaminants to be ranked and discussed at future 
meetings are: (1) sulfate, (2) aldicarb/aldicarb sulfoxide/aldicarb 
sulfone, (3) acifluorfen, (4) acrylonitrile, (5) boron, (6) 
bromomethane, (7) cyanazine, (8) dicamba, (9) 2,4/2,6-dinitrotoluene 
(2,4/2,6-DNT), (10) ethylene thiourea (ETU), (11) hexachlorobutadiene 
(HCBD), (12) manganese, (13) methomyl, (14) metolachlor, (15) 
metribuzin, (16) molybdenum, (17) 1,1,1,2-trichloroethylene (1,1,1,2-
TCE), (18) 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP), (19) 1,3-dichloropropene 
(Telone II), (20) trifluralin, (21) zinc, and (22) nickel. Other 
contaminants may also be discussed.
    In addition to the April 10-11, meeting, meetings are scheduled for 
April 25-26, May 11-12, and May 24-25, 1995 to discuss the contaminants 
listed above. The meetings will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
each day at 2828 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 402, Washington, D.C. 
For further information, including meeting materials, interested 
persons may contact Jan Auerbach at (202) 260-5274. 
[[Page 18404]] Interested persons may provide their rankings of one or 
more of these contaminants up to May 15, 1995, even if the discussion 
of the contaminant has already been held. Please contact Jan Auerbach 
for information on how to submit individual rankings for the Agency's 
consideration.

    Dated: April 5, 1995.
Tudor Davies,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
Cynthia Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 95-8875 Filed 4-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P