The Environmental Protection Agency will pursue a limit on naturally occurring arsenic in drinking water that will be as tough, or tougher, than limits proposed by the Clinton administration, according to today's issue of The Washington Post.
A National Academy of Sciences report, due for release today, found the health risks from arsenic, a carcinogen, were much higher than thought. The report prompted EPA leaders to seek a much stricter standard than the current 50 parts per billion, the Post said.
"We are not going to go above 10 parts per billion," said an unnamed EPA official quoted by the newspaper. "That's just not going to happen."
Some 13 million Americans routinely drink water with more than 10 parts per billion of arsenic, according to the EPA.
The Bush administration has faced repeated criticism for deciding last March to make its own assessment of the proper limit. In its final days, the Clinton administration proposed 10 parts per billion, the standard in most developed nations.
The House of Representatives and the Senate have voted for tougher limits on arsenic, the Republican-led House specifying the 10 parts per billion standard.
Source: Reuters