EPA announced this month that as part of its Drinking Water Strategy principle to regulate contaminants as groups, the agency will move toward establishing one drinking water standard that will address a group of up to 16 carcinogenic VOCs – eight regulated and eight unregulated compounds. The eight regulated compounds include tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), which were cited for revision under the Six-Year Review, as well as benzene; carbon tetrachloride; 1,2-dichloroethane; 1,2-dichloropropane; dichloromethane and vinyl chloride. EPA plans to also include up to eight unregulated compounds in the future group regulation: aniline; benzyl chloride; 1,3-butadiene; 1,1-dichloroethane; nitrobenzene; oxirane methyl; 1,2,3-trichloropropane and urethane. The unregulated contaminants are on the third Contaminant Candidate List.
EPA is expected to propose the group regulation for carcinogenic VOCs within the next two years. Additional information about the Drinking Water Strategy, including an update on the agency’s accomplishments to date, is available.