EPA to Look at Health Based Benchmarks for Lead

EPA has announced the beginning of a peer review of draft scientific modeling approaches to inform EPA’s evaluation of potential health-based benchmarks for lead in drinking water.  The National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) recommended that EPA pursue development of a health-based benchmark as the agency works to revise the LCR, and this action is a step toward implementing that recommendation.
As part of the announcement, EPA is seeking nominations of peer reviewers, providing draft charge questions, and including a report related to draft scientific modeling approaches. The focus of the peer review will be on gathering expert scientific input on the use of draft modeling approaches for developing health-based benchmarks for lead in drinking water. The report will discuss modeling approaches, propose input parameters, and review various exposure scenarios for the peer reviewers to consider.
The model values presented in the draft report will be included to better illustrate the draft approaches for the peer reviewers. Peer reviewers will not be asked to select a specific value or to provide input on the specific role for a health-based value in proposed revisions to the LCR.  EPA will consider the specific role for a health-based value in the proposed revisions to the LCR after the peer review of the modeling effort has been completed.  EPA is still expecting to propose revisions to the LCR in 2017.
Additional information on the peer review is available at https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations/lead-modeling-peer-review.