A survey and analysis of states' methodologies for deriving drinking water guidelines for chemical contaminants

Data from a national survey questionnaire regarding the development of guidelines for chemical contaminants in drinking water were collected from all 50 states. Twenty-three states develop at least some of their own guidelines; the other 27 states rely on guidelines previously developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) or by other states. States which derive guidelines generally employ toxicological criteria and risk assessment methodologies developed by the USEPA. Fourteen of the twenty-three states that develop their own guidelines depend on cancer potency factors derived by the USEPA to establish risk-based concentrations for carcinogens. Most of the states develop guidelines based on preventing possible excess cancer risk greater than one in one million. Seventeen of these twenty-three states rely on oral reference doses (RfDs) to derive guidelines for noncarcinogens. Examination and clarification of the states' approaches to guideline derivation reveal that although similar risk assessment techniques are generally employed, differences in assumptions, chemical classifications, and uncertainty factors may lead to variation in resultant guidance levels. Improved communication and coordination between states and the federal government may help reduce the variations and inconsistencies among the states in establishing drinking water guidelines for chemical contaminants.