Abstract |
Every five years the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to publish a list of contaminants (1) that are currently unregulated, (2) that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems, and (3) which may require regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This list is known as the Contaminant Candidate List or CCL. SDWA section 1412(b)(1) requires that in the development of the CCL, EPA consider specific data sources and include the scientific community. EPA must evaluate substances identified in section 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 and substances registered as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). SDWA also requires the Agency to consider the National Contaminant Occurrence Database established under section 1445(g) of SDWA. SDWA directs the Agency to consult with the scientific community, including the Science Advisory Board (SAB). In addition, it directs the Agency to consider the health effects and occurrence information for unregulated contaminants to identify those contaminants that present the greatest public health concern related to exposure from drinking water. |