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NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Commission on Life Sciences
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology
Committee on Copper in Drinking Water

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Congressional Briefing
Monday, February 28, 2000 - 10:00 a.m.
141 Hart Senate Office Building

on

Copper in Drinking Water

In response to a request from Congress (PL 105-276), the National Research Council (NRC) formed a committee to independently review the scientific and technical basis for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for copper of 1.3 mg/L in drinking water. This evaluation was done on the basis of a review of available toxicology, epidemiology, and exposure data (from both food and water) and by determining whether the critical study, end point of toxicity, and uncertainty factors used by the EPA in the derivation of the MCLG for copper are appropriate. The resulting study, Copper in the Drinking Water, also identified data gaps and made recommendations for future research.

This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on March 2, 2000 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.