Limitations of time, manpower, and scientific information have not permitted an in-depth evaluation of most of the compounds recently found in drinking water. The number of volatile organic compounds identified in drinking water supplies has increased from approximately 300 at the time of the first study to 700 at the present time and will continue to grow. A reevaluation of this contaminant will be justified when the several studies now underway are completed. Asbestos was one of the particulates examined in the first study. Radioactive contaminants are not considered in this study. The 1977 study (National Academy of Sciences, 1977) examined the radioactive, particulate, and chemical contaminants found in drinking water. They are evaluated in this chapter by the Subcommittee on Toxicology. A list of such compounds was prepared by the Safe Drinking Water Subcommittee on Chemistry of Disinfectants and Products. The chlorination of drinking water or the use of other disinfectants yields compounds that require toxicological evaluation. Several compounds were judged to be of concern because of potential spill situations. New contaminants have been identified in drinking water subsequent to the first study. Sufficient new data have become available to justify further attention to several chemicals examined in the first study. The compounds evaluated in this chapter were selected for the following reasons: 1. The health effects of a large number of contaminants found in drinking water were evaluated in Drinking Water and Health (National Academy of Sciences, 1977).
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