EPA’s 2015 Human Health Criteria Update

Debbie MillerWater 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 factorRelative 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 CriteriaNon-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 CriteriaCarcinogen 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:

• http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/current/index.cfm#hhtable

• General information regarding EPA’s 2015 update:• http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/

criteria/current/hhfinal.cfm• Methodology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria

for the Protection of Human Health:• http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/

criteria/health/methodology/index.cfm

Contact Information

Debbie MillerDebbie.miller@tceq.texas.gov

(512) 239-1703

Email general questions to: standards@tceq.texas.gov