(a) The state board shall adopt primary drinking water standards for contaminants in drinking water that are based upon the criteria set forth in subdivision (b) and shall not be less stringent than the national primary drinking water standards adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A primary drinking water standard adopted by the state board shall be set at a level that is as close as feasible to the corresponding public health goal placing primary emphasis on the protection of public health, and that, to the extent technologically and economically feasible, meets all of the following: (1) With respect to acutely toxic substances, avoids any known or anticipated adverse effects on public health with an adequate margin of safety. (2) With respect to carcinogens, or any substances that may cause chronic disease, avoids any significant risk to public health. (b) The state board shall consider all of the following criteria when it adopts a primary drinking water standard: (1) The public health goal for the contaminant published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment pursuant to subdivision (c). (2) The national primary drinking water standard for the contaminant, if any, adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. (3) The technological and economic feasibility of compliance with the proposed primary drinking water standard. For the purposes of determining economic feasibility pursuant to this paragraph, the state board shall consider the costs of compliance to public water systems, customers, and other affected parties with the proposed primary drinking water standard, including the cost per customer and aggregate cost of compliance, using best available technology. (c) (1) The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall prepare and publish an assessment of the risks to public health posed by each contaminant for which the state board proposes a primary drinking water standard. The risk assessment shall be prepared using the most current principles, practices, and methods used by public health professionals who are experienced practitioners in the fields of epidemiology, risk assessment, and toxicology. The risk assessment shall contain an estimate of the level of the contaminant in drinking water that is not anticipated to cause or contribute to adverse health effects, or that does not pose any significant risk to health. This level shall be known as the public health goal for the contaminant. The public health goal shall be based exclusively on public health considerations and shall be set in accordance with all of the following: (A) If the contaminant is an acutely toxic substance, the public health goal shall be set at the level at which no known or anticipated adverse effects on health occur, with an adequate margin of safety. (B) If the contaminant is a carcinogen or other substance that may cause chronic disease, the public health goal shall be set at the level that, based upon currently available data, does not pose any significant risk to health. (C) To the extent information is available, the public health goal shall take into account each of the following factors: (i) Synergistic effects resulting from exposure to, or interaction between, the contaminant and one or more other substances or contaminants. (ii) Adverse health effects the contaminant has on members of subgroups that comprise a meaningful portion of the general population, including, but not limited to, infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with a history of serious illness, or other subgroups that are identifiable as being at greater risk of adverse health effects than the general population when exposed to the contaminant in drinking water. (iii) The relationship between exposure to the contaminant and increased body burden and the degree to which increased body burden levels alter physiological function or structure in a manner that may significantly increase the r
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