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MiMfg Magazine
May 2020
non-quantifiable benefits that are likely to occur as a
result of compliance with the proposed standards,”
said Johnston. “The lack of a complete accounting
for the cost of any proposed drinking water rules is
of major concern for the public and the regulated
community to understand the benefits of this
proposal relative to the costs all will be asked to
bear. The State should not move forward without
fully knowing and accounting for the financial
impact on communities and their citizens of the cost
of implementing safe drinking water standards.”
Next Steps
The next step in the rules process involves the
legislature’s Joint Administrative Rules Committee.
MMA is encouraging the committee to review
the additional question raised by the ERRC and
contained in the letter sent to JCAR by ERRC
Chairman Rob Nederhood.
“We find it very interesting that the ERRC
voted to move the process along, but also sent a very
detailed list of questions about the underpinnings of
the scientific conclusions of the workgroup,” said
Johnston. “There are several outstanding scientific
questions deserving attention to ensure we are
relying on settled science.”
For more information on PFAS, the process to a
workable drinking water standard and more, members
are encouraged to join the MMA PFAS Work Group
or contact MMA’s Dave Greco, at 517-487-8543
or [email protected], to get involved.
6
Brett Gerrish is MMA’s communications
coordinator. He may be reached at
[email protected] or 517-487-8533.
Sources:
Final Draft Supplying Water to the Public (PFAS) Rule Set
michigan.gov/documents/egle/2019-035_EG_Supplying_Water_to_
the_Public_Parts_1-26_-_strike_bold_02_21_2020_681827_7.pdf
MMA Formal Written Comments and Independent Peer Review Study:
mimfg.org/Portals/0/Documents/GA/mma_pfas_drinking-water-rules_
final-comments-and-independent-review_200131.pdf
ERRC Letter to JCAR, Draft Proposed Rule Set 2019-35 EG (April 2020):
mimfg.org/Portals/0/Documents/GA/envpfas_errc-jcar-letter_200323.pdf
About the Experts
Dr. Michael L. Dourson
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment
and Former EPA Senior Advisor
Dr. Dourson is a board-certified toxicologist serving as the
Director of Science at the 501c3 nonprofit organization
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA). Prior to
this, he was senior advisor in the Office of the Administrator
at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
He has been awarded the Arnold J. Lehman Award from the
Society of Toxicology, the International Achievement Award
by the International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and
Pharmacology and four bronze medals from the EPA. He
has co-published more than 150 papers on risk assessment
methods or chemical-specific analyses. He is a current
member on the editorial board of Regulatory Toxicology and
Pharmacology and Human and Experimental Toxicology.
Dr. Edward J. Calabrese
Toxicology professor at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences
Dr. Calabrese has researched extensively in the area of
host factors affecting susceptibility to pollutants. He has
authored over 900 papers in scholarly journals as well as
more than 10 books. He has been a member of the US
National Academy of Sciences and NATO Countries Safe
Drinking Water committees and the Board of Scientific
Counselors for the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR).
A recipient of many high honors in his field, over the past 20
years Calabrese has redirected his research to understanding
the nature of the dose response in the low dose zone and
underlying adaptive explanatory mechanisms. His observations
are leading to a major transformation in improving drug
discovery, development, and in the efficiency of the clinical
trial, as well as the scientific foundations for risk assessment
and environmental regulation for radiation and chemicals.
Mr. Richard J. Welsh
Toxicologist with ASTI Environmental
Welsh is a board-certified toxicologist and environmental
chemist with over 30 years toxicology and environmental
consulting support experience in a range of disciplines
including human health risk assessment, exposure
assessment and ecological risk assessment.
He is currently a director at ASTI Environmental Inc. and
has developed quantitative criteria and qualitative goals
for soil, groundwater, sediments and air as well as
supporting chemical fate and transport evaluations for a
range of projects and environmental contaminants.