the us Environmental Protection Agency (usepa) has greatly underestimated the cancer risks of arsenic in drinking water, indicates a study of the National Academy of Sciences. Following the report, for the first time, usepa under the Bush administration is conceding that it will be hard-pressed not to accept stringent arsenic standards for drinking water. "The report is a bombshell because it says that usepa underestimated the cancer threat by several folds," said Erik D Olson, a senior lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council (nrdc). The report, in particular, reinforces that cancer risks are high even for low levels of arsenic in tap water. The current standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic in drinking water has been in place since 1942. Before relinquishing office, former president Bill Clinton had adopted a tougher standard of 10 ppb, but the Bush administration suspended it until February 2001. The report says that even at 3 ppb, the risk of bladder and lung cancer is between 4-10 cancer deaths per 10,000 people. It mentions that arsenic can also cause heart diseases and high blood pressure. nrdc has now decided to sue usepa about its decision to suspend Clinton's arsenic rule. According to nrdc officials, the Bush administration violated provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Administrative Procedures Act by suspending the standard formulated by the Clinton administration.
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