EPA Revision of PCB Human Health/Environmental criteria

[asagady@sojourn.com]

Here is a fragment of the notice just published today which I 
believe allows a relaxation in methods for considering PCB
health/environmental impacts in consideration of water quality
standards for PCBs.

If you want the full notice, send   asagady@sojourn.com
a note with subject line "FULL NOTICE ON PCB WATER QUALITY"

==============


40 CFR Part 132



Revisions to the Polychlorinated Biphenyl Criteria for Human Health and 
Wildlife for the Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System; 
Final Rule


[[Page 11724]]



ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 132

[FRL-5708-8]
RIN 2040-AC94

 
Final Revisions to the Polychlorinated Biphenyl Criteria for 
Human Health and Wildlife for the Water Quality Guidance for the Great 
Lakes System

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA is publishing final revisions to the polychlorinated 
biphenyl (PCB) ambient water quality criteria for human health and 
wildlife for the final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes 
System that was published in March 1995 (the 1995 Guidance). The final 
revisions are limited to the method for calculating a composite 
baseline bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for PCBs and the method for 
calculating a composite octanol-water partition coefficient (K<INF>ow) 
for PCBs. After reviewing all public comments, EPA concluded that the 
approach it proposed in October 1996 for calculating a composite 
baseline BAF, using the second alternative proposed for calculating a 
composite K<INF>ow, for PCBs would be preferable to the approach used 
in the 1995 Guidance because it would more appropriately relate the 
concentrations of the PCB congeners in tissue to the concentrations of 
the PCB congeners in water. Consequently, EPA is today revising the 
human health cancer criterion for PCBs from 3.9E-6 ug/L to 6.7E-6 ug/L, 
and the wildlife criterion for PCBs from 7.4E-5 ug/L to 1.2E-4 ug/L. 
EPA believes that these revisions more accurately represent the 
numerical limits necessary to protect human health and wildlife in the 
Great Lakes System.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 12, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The public docket for this rulemaking, including the 
proposal, public comments in response to the proposal, other major 
supporting documents, and the index to the docket are available for 
inspection and copying at U.S. EPA Region 5, 77 West Jackson Blvd., 
Chicago, IL 60604 by appointment only. Appointments may be made by 
calling Mary Willis Jackson (telephone 312-886-3717).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Morris (4301), U.S. EPA, 401 M 
Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20460 (202-260-0312).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

A. Potentially Affected Entities

    Entities potentially affected by this final rule are those 
discharging pollutants to waters of the United States in the Great 
Lakes System. Potentially affected categories and entities include:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Examples of potentially affected
               Category                             entities            
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Industry..............................  Industries discharging PCBs to  
                                         waters in the Great Lakes      
                                         System as defined in 40 CFR    
                                         132.2.                         
Municipalities........................  Publicly-owned treatment works  
                                         discharging PCBs to waters of  
                                         the Great Lakes System as      
                                         defined in 40 CFR 132.2.       
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide

[GIANT SNIP OF REST OF NOTICE]


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Alex J. Sagady & Associates        Email:  asagady@sojourn.com
Environmental Consulting and Database Systems
PO Box 39  East Lansing, MI  48826-0039  
(517) 332-6971 (voice); (517) 332-8987 (fax)