Washington, D.C. – Today, Consumer Federation of America (CFA) applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its decision to retain the 10ppb limit on arsenic in drinking water that had been established as a final rule January 2001.  However, we regret that valuable months and taxpayer dollars have been lost conducting an unnecessary review of the arsenic rule when EPA could have been helping begin the process of funding and installing new treatments to reduce arsenic in drinking water, said Diana Neidle, Public Policy Associate of Consumer Federation of America.

After the Bush Administration announced last February that they w ere delaying this overdue reduction in arsenic in drinking water because it might cost too much, the public expressed outrage through thousands of letters and emails.  In addition, independent groups of scientists, economists and water treatment experts issued reports to the EPA this fall that supported EPA s original recommendation on the 10ppb arsenic rule.

In many cases, experts provided information that would justify even stricter limits for arsenic in drinking water. They concluded that arsenic in drinking water was an even greater threat to public health than EPA had estimated and that reducing arsenic in drinking water offered far greater financial savings than the EPA had calculated,  said Neidle.  In fact, the evidence in those reports points to the need for an even more  protective standard at 3ppb.  This limit has been calculated by EPA to be achievable and would reduce the combined risk of fatal cancer from arsenic in drinking water to 10 people in 10,000 from the 30 in 10,000 risk with a 10ppb cap on drinking water arsenic. The EPA permits other carcinogenic contaminants in drinking water to levels that present no more than a 1 in 10,000 combined fatal risk of cancer.

Arsenic is a well-documented poison that is conservatively estimated to be in the drinking water of more

than 30 million Americans. The National Academy of Science reported in 1999 (and recently confirmed) that people exposed to even low amounts of arsenic in their drinking water are at increased risk of skin, lung, and bladder cancer and may be more likely to experience kidney and liver cancer, blood problems, birth defects and reproductive problems.

To find out if, or how much, arsenic is in their drinking water, CFA recommends that consumers call their water utility and ask for the latest annual water quality report, sometimes called the  Consumer Confidence Report.