Debbie Miller Water Quality Standards Toxic Criteria Coordinator

Overview EPA finalized updates to the ambient water quality criteria for the protection of human health in 2015 Revised criteria for 94 chemicals Public comment May – August 2014 Final criteria publish in FR June 29, 2015 Incorporates several elements of EPA’s 2000 revision to methodologies for deriving HH criteria Recommendations to states Applicable to all programs under CWA

Not Included in the Update Antimony, arsenic, asbestos, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium (III or VI), copper, manganese, methylmercury, nickel, nitrates, nitrosamines, N- nitrosodibutylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N- nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosodimethylamine, N- nitrosodi-n-propylamine, N-nitrosodiphenylamine, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), selenium, thallium, zinc, or 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin) All exclusions due to “outstanding technical issues”

Changes to Calculation Assumptions Adult body weight increased from 70 kg to 80 kg Adult drinking water consumption rate increased from 2.0 L/person/day to 2.4 L/person/day Adult fish consumption rate increased from 17.5 g/person/day to 22 g/person/day BAFs over BCFs Paddlers, Lady Bird Lake Image Credit: Texas River School

Inclusion of RSC factor Relative Source Contribution (RSC) RSC factors ranging from 20 to 80 percent Recommended for non-carcinogens or non-linear carcinogens HH criteria address exposure only through surface- water-derived drinking water and eating fish and shellfish. The RSC estimates the portion of a person’s total exposure attributed to water and fish consumption and thereby accounts for potential exposure from other sources such as skin absorption, inhalation, other foods, and occupational exposures. Recommended in EPA’s 2000 human health methodology

More on BAFs BCFs: exposure from direct water contact only BAFs: exposure from direct water contact and food ingestion BAF use is strongly encouraged in EPA’s 2000 human health methodology

Changes to TCEQ HH Criteria? Calculation Assumptions: Not at this time Disconnect between EPA HH criteria calculation methods and the national drinking water program TCEQ does not wish to have different program areas within the agency using different assumptions based on federal recommendations RSCs: Not at this time Instead, based on the EPA's 2000 methodology, Texas adopted using childhood exposure factors to calculate criteria for noncarcinogens during the 2010 revision. BAFs: Yes! TCEQ began using BAFs in the 2010 revision and recommends continuing forward with the BAFs used in the national criteria update

Other Updates to TCEQ’s HH Criteria Non-Carcinogen Updates: New entries: Ethylene Glycol, 4,4'-Isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A) Reference dose updates: p-Dichlorobenzene BAF/BCF updates: Anthracene, Chlorobenzene, m-Dichlorobenzene, o- Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 2,4- Dimethylphenol, Di-n-Butyl Phthalate, Endrin, g- Hexachlorocyclohexane, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Methoxychlor, Nitrobenzene, Pentachlorobenzene, 1,2,4,5-Tetrachlorobenzene, Toluene, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 2,4,5,-Trichlorophenol

Other Updates to TCEQ’s HH Criteria Carcinogen Changes: New entries: Epichlorohydrin, Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) Cancer potency factor updates: Vinyl Chloride Reference dose updates: Tetrachloroethylene, Toxaphene BAF/BCF updates: Acrylonitrile, Aldrin, Benzene, Benzidene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Bis(2-chloroethy)ether, Bromodichloromethane, Bromoform, Carbon Tetrachloride, Chlordane#, Chrysene, 4,4'-DDD, 4,4'-DDE, 4,4'-DDT, Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, Dibromochloromethane, 3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine, 1,2-Dichloroethane, Dichloromethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, 1,3-Dichloropropene#, Dieldrin, Heptachlor, Heptachlor Epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene, Hexachlorobutadiene, a-Hexachlorocyclohexane, b- Hexachlorocyclohexane, Hexachloroethane, Pentachlorophenol, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, Tetrachloroethylene, Toxaphene, 1,1,2- Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl Chloride

Helpful Links EPA’s HH criteria table: /current/index.cfm#hhtable General information regarding EPA’s 2015 update: /current/hhfinal.cfm Methodology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health: /health/methodology/index.cfm

Contact Information Debbie Miller (512) general questions to: