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Chloroform: Science, Policy, and Politics
Author(s) -
Pontius Frederick W.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2000.tb08939.x
Subject(s) - agency (philosophy) , politics , criticism , political science , chloroform , action (physics) , public administration , law , sociology , social science , chemistry , chromatography , physics , quantum mechanics
As part of the Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts (D/DBP) Rule, the US Environmental Protection Agency set a maximum contaminant level goal for chloroform at zero. This action touched off a firestorm of criticism, both technical and policy‐related, from several corners. The agency was accused of sacrificing science at the political alter on the one hand and praised for not changing a long‐standing policy on the other. This article discusses how the saga of chloroform regulation mirrors the controversies raised when advances in science collide with traditional policies and national politics.