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Drinking water standards and risk assessment.

J A Cotruvo1

  • 1Office of Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. 20460.

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology : RTP
|September 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Drinking water standards rely on risk assessment to quantify human exposure and set safe limits. Applying these methods to carcinogens involves policy choices and scientific debate.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health Sciences
  • Toxicology
  • Public Health Policy

Background:

  • Drinking water standards are crucial for public health protection.
  • Risk assessment methods are employed to establish these standards.
  • Recent applications highlight the evolving methodologies in this field.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the role and application of risk assessment in setting drinking water standards.
  • To emphasize recent advancements and methodologies in the field.
  • To discuss the complexities and controversies in applying risk assessment to non-threshold toxicants.

Main Methods:

  • Quantifying human exposure from all relevant routes (e.g., drinking water, inhalation).
  • Utilizing animal toxicology data to assess potential health effects.
  • Incorporating human epidemiology data where available.
  • Establishing drinking water concentrations with a margin of safety.

Main Results:

  • The risk assessment process aims to determine safe exposure levels for drinking water contaminants.
  • Application to non-threshold toxicants, such as carcinogens, presents significant challenges.
  • Decision-making involves policy choices extending beyond purely scientific data.

Conclusions:

  • Risk assessment is a fundamental tool for establishing drinking water standards.
  • The scientific basis for setting standards for non-threshold toxicants remains controversial.
  • Policy considerations play a critical role in the final determination of drinking water regulations.

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