Evaluation of the Basis for Drinking-Water Contaminant Level Goals and Maximum Contaminant Levels
Abstract
SAF/IEE requested AFIERA's assistance in conducting a historical assessment of environmental standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the health risk levels indicated by the risk characterizations for contaminant. The objective of this report is to assess the appropriateness of using Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)as groundwater cleanup goals compared to using the results of an actual site-specific risk assessment. AFIERA contracted with Mitretek Systems (MS) for this assessment. MS evaluated the relationships between chemical-specific toxicity values and MCLs for both carcinogens and noncarcinogens. In general, they reached two overall conclusions: first, MCLs are not an acceptable surrogate for site-specific baseline assessments for setting site-specific cleanup goals and for prioritizing site cleanups; second, chemicals that have been detected at AF installations are regulated less stringently by MCLs than chemicals that have not been detected at AF installations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA409330
Entities
People
- John P. Hinz
- Raymond S. Kutzman