These meetings were initiated as part of the Drinking Water Program Redirection efforts to help refocus EPA's drinking water priorities and to support strong, flexible partnerships among EPA, States, Tribes, local governments, and the public. EPA encourages the full participation of stakeholders throughout this process. Members of the public who cannot attend the meeting in person may participate via conference call and should register with the Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Conference lines will be allocated on the basis of first-reserved, first served. Arsenic in drinking water occurs in ground water and surface water and is associated with certain natural geologic conditions, as well as with contamination from human activities.
Arsenic ingestion is linked to skin cancer and arsenic inhalation to lung cancer.
In addition, arsenic ingestion seems to be associated with cancers of the kidney, bladder, liver, lung, and other organs. When EPA failed to meet the statutory deadline for promulgating an arsenic regulation, a citizens' group filed suit to compel EPA to do so. EPA entered into a consent decree to issue the regulation. In December 1996, EPA announced the availability of the arsenic research plan, and the public had an opportunity to comment on the paper at a scientific peer review meeting in January, 1997. EPA reported to Congress in late January that the plan was publicly available and would be revised after consideration of the final report of the scientific peer review group, which was subsequently published May 8, 1997.