Jul 17, 2020, The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency published the updated Public Health Goal (PHG) for 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). A PHG is the level of a drinking water contaminant at which adverse health effects are not expected to occur from a lifetime of exposure. The California Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 requires OEHHA to develop PHGs based exclusively on public health considerations. PHGs published by OEHHA are considered by the State Water Resources Control Board in setting drinking water standards (Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs) for California.

The technical support document, available for download below, presents the scientific information available on the toxicity of DBCP and the calculation of the updated PHG.

● The updated PHG of 0.003 parts per billion (ppb) is based on carcinogenicity and is set at a level of risk of one additional cancer case per one million persons exposed over a 70-year lifetime.

● OEHHA also presents a health-protective drinking water concentration of 0.5 ppb for non-cancer health effects of DBCP.

Reference: https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/water/chemicals/phg/dbcpphg071720.pdf
https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/crnr/dbcpexternalpeerreview.pdf