Chlorine Group Takes Issue with New EPA Rules

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

INDUSTRY NEWS
                                                            12/11/1998

                                  Chlorine Group Takes Issue with New EPA Rules


                                  In a recent statement the Chlorine
Chemistry Council (CCC)
                                  said it is in general agreement with the
Disinfectants and
                                  Disinfection Byproducts Rule and the
Interim Enhanced
                                  Surface Water Treatment Rule, both just
published by the
                                  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). These new rules
                                  are intended to prevent increases in
waterborne diseases
                                  from high-risk bacteria and viruses while
reducing
                                  disinfection byproduct (DBP) levels in
drinking water.

                                  The CCC remains troubled by the EPA's
failure to follow the
                                  Safe Drinking Water Act's (SDWA)
requirement to use the
                                  "best available peer-reviewed science" in
setting Maximum
                                  Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG). In
particular, by setting an
                                  MCLG of zero for chloroform, the CCC
believes the Agency
                                  has ignored the scientific weight of
evidence and the last 20
                                  years of peer-reviewed research.

                                  Last March, the EPA proposed an MCLG of
300 parts per
                                  billion based on peer-reviewed results.
The Agency's
                                  subsequent retreat from the SDWA's
requirement and sound
                                  science misdirects attention and
resources away from
                                  emerging waterborne diseases and other
disinfection
                                  byproducts with higher risks, according
to the CCC.

                                  The Council strongly supports the use of
the "best available
                                  peer-reviewed science" as required by the
Safe Drinking
                                  Water Act, and the use of this scientific
knowledge in
                                  setting a chloroform MCLG. The CCC can be
contacted at
                                  703-741-5827.