Washington, D.C. – Congressman John D. Dingell, Ranking Member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s decision to repeal the pending arsenic standard for drinking water that was issued in January 2001.

"The Administration has turned its back on America’s children and communities ravaged by the mining industry. Indeed, the 1942 arsenic in drinking water standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb) is not only outdated but lethal. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that arsenic is an extremely potent human carcinogen and that exposure to it in drinking water causes lung, bladder and liver cancer. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has linked arsenic exposure to liver and kidney cancer.

"The decision not to update the standard to the recommended and acceptable level of 10 ppb places young Americans everywhere in danger. It reminds me of the story about the man who cut the arms and legs off the boy to make a too-small suit fit. The proposed arsenic in drinking water standard of 10 ppb is in line with the standard adopted by the World Health Organization and the European Union. The Administration’s decision to withdraw the long overdue protections from arsenic in drinking water is much like the man fitting the too-small suit."