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Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are standards that are set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for drinking water quality. [1] [2] An MCL is the legal threshold limit on the amount of a substance that is allowed in public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
EPA has finalized the legally enforceable levels, called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), for five individual PFAS, including the most frequently found PFOA and PFOS, the agency said.
Only two states—Massachusetts and California—set legally binding maximum contaminant levels on the allowable amount of perchlorate in drinking water, at 2 ppb and 6 ppb respectively. [93] [95] EPA issued an "Interim Health Advisory" for perchlorate in 2009, while it continued to evaluate whether to issue regulatory standards. [94]
The regulations include both mandatory requirements (Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs; and Treatment Techniques) and nonenforceable health goals (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs) for each included contaminant. [9] As of 2019 EPA has issued 88 standards for microorganisms, chemicals and radionuclides. [10]
In 2016, the EPA set a Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, but wells tested in the three Bucks and Montgomery towns tested at levels up to several hundred times those levels.
The drinking water standards are organized into six classes of contaminants: Microorganisms, Disinfectants, Disinfection Byproducts, Inorganic Chemicals, Organic Chemicals and Radionuclides. The standards specify either Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or Treatment Techniques (enforceable procedures). [7]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a maximum contaminant level (MCL) standard of 4.0 mg/L for fluoride, applicable to public water systems. The standard was promulgated pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). [67]
EPA illustration of lead sources in residential buildings Infographic about lead in drinking water. The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) is a United States federal regulation that limits the concentration of lead and copper allowed in public drinking water at the consumer's tap, as well as limiting the permissible amount of pipe corrosion occurring due to the water itself. [1]