ARCC Asks President, EPA to Support Jobs, Sustainable Policies

In March, ARCC sent letters to President Clinton and the Environmental Protection Agency in support of sound environmental, economic and health policies.

ARCC supports "Option A" of the EPA's proposed "cluster rule," which will set new air and water discharge limits for the pulp and paper industry (see ARCC News, January 1997) ARCC's letter to President Clinton is reprinted on page 2.

In other action, ARCC wrote to EPA's director of ground water and drinking water seeking a "seat at the table" for water disinfectant producers in the upcoming round of regulatory negotiations on drinking water. ARCC is pleased to report that EPA has responded affirmatively (see ARCC News, August 1996).

Chlorine disinfection provides safe drinking water. According to officials of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the only practical way to provide clean drinking water in developing countries. Every day, tens of thousands of people are sickened and killed by typhoid, cholera and other pathogens in untreated drinking water in developing countries. Chlorine kills these pathogens. In the industrialized countries, chlorine disinfection has virtually or completely eliminated outbreaks of such disease for decades.

Concern over the minute hypothetical risks posed by "disinfection by-products" (DBPs) of chlorination in drinking water has led some groups to press for stricter standards on DBP levels. ARCC supports the use of new technologies to further reduce the level of DBPs. However, as a public health matter, the minute theoretical risks of DBPs should not be confused with the real danger posed by increased exposure to waterborne pathogens due to inadequate levels of chlorine disinfection.

In making the regulations which will subsequently affect the ability of both large and small drinking water providers to assure a safe drinking water supply at an affordable price, EPA has done the right thing by including disinfectant representatives at the table.