Drinking Water Health Advisory

Book excerpt: Health Advisories (HAs) are prepared by the Criteria and Standards Division, Office of Drinking Water (ODW) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in Washington, D.C. Documents summarized in this volume are part of the Health Advisory Program sponsored by ODW in response to the public need for guidance during emergency situations involving drinking water contamination. They provide technical guidance to public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination. The HAs for 15 unregulated volatile organic chemicals were developed jointly by the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office and ODW. Each HA contains information regarding the nature of adverse health effects associated with the contaminant and contaminant concentrations that would not be anticipated to cause an adverse effect following various periods of exposure. In addition, the HA summarizes information on occurrence, analytical methods, environmental fate, and treatment techniques for the contaminant.