NY State Senate Bill S1646

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 15, 2019	referred to health

Co-Sponsors

S1646 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §1112, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in 2017-2018 Legislative Session:: S4381

S1646 - Summary

Includes hexavalent chromium in the list for emerging contaminants.

S1646 - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S1646

SPONSOR: BROOKS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to including hexava-
lent chromium in the list of emerging contaminants

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of This bill adds hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6) to the
list of emerging contaminants.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. amends section 1112 of the public health law by adding a new
subdivision 3 to paragraph 3 which adds hexavalent chromium (Chromium-6)
to the list of contaminants that must be designated as emerging contam-
inants by the Department of Health.

Section 2. is the enacting clause.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Since the discovery of chromium-6 (hexavalent chromium) water contam-
ination in Hinkley, California, by Erin Brockovich there has been broad
public and scientific acknowledgement of the harms it presents to human
health. Despite this acknowledgement, New York does not have a maximum
contaminant level (MCL) for chromium-6 in public water systems.

New York has an MCL for total chromium of .1 mg/1 - which includes chro-
mium metal, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium. However, while
chromium metal and trivalent chromium are not considered to be toxic,
the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on
Cancer recognizes hexavalent chromium as carcinogenic to mammals. Treat-
ing these different types of chemicals the same in regulation, does not
make sense from a public health perspective.

The prevalence of chromium-6 in public drinking water is of significant
concern to residents on Long Island and communities across New York
State. Recent tests of public water systems under the Third Unregulated
Contaminant Monitoring Rule for chromium-6 have revealed widespread
contamination of drinking water systems. On Long Island 1,247 out of
1,417 samples of drinking water tested positive for chromium-6. In
Nassau County alone, this included 27 out of 28 water systems that test-
ed at an average of .338 ppb, ranging up to 3.9 ppb. Comparatively, the
public health goal set by California for chromium-6 is .02 ppb.a

The 2017-18 Adopted Budget added a new provision to the Public Health
Law that authorizes the Department of Health to designate certain
substances as "emerging contaminants." Every public water system would
have to test drinking water at least once every three years for the
presence of these emerging contaminants and notify residents if levels
for a certain contaminant are above a certain level set by the Depart-
ment. The Department of Health would have the authority to consider what
substances should be added to the list of emerging contaminants, but at
a minimum the chemicals 1,4-dioxane, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) must be added to the list of "emerging
contaminants."
This bill would add hexavalent chromium to the list of substances that
the Department of Health must add to the list of emerging contaminants.
This would require the Department of Health to also set a notification
level for hexavalent chromium and require all public water systems to
test drinking water supplies for the present of hexavalent chromium at
least once every three years.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately

S1646 - Bill Text download pdf


                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1646

                       2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 15, 2019
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to including  hexava-
  lent chromium in the list of emerging contaminants

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 1112 of the  public
health law, as added by section 1 of part M of chapter 57 of the laws of
2017, is amended to read as follows:
  c.  The commissioner shall, at a minimum, include the following chemi-
cals identified as emerging contaminants: 1,4-dioxane; HEXAVALENT  CHRO-
MIUM  (CHROMIUM-6);  perfluorooctanesulfonic acid; and perfluorooctanoic
acid.
  § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.






 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06822-01-9

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S1646

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

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Co-Sponsors

S1646 - Details

S1646 - Summary

S1646 - Sponsor Memo

S1646 - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S1646

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Sponsored By

John E. Brooks

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Your Voice

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Co-Sponsors

Joseph P. Addabbo Jr

James Sanders Jr.

S1646 - Details

S1646 - Summary

S1646 - Sponsor Memo

S1646 - Bill Text download pdf

Comments