Ch. 7— The Use of Animals in Testing • 163 
In 1982, EPA published a Water Quality Stand- 
ards Handbook that provides guidance for develop- 
ing site -specific water quality criteria that reflect 
local environmental conditions based on toxicity 
testing in fish. 
The Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300) is 
designed to protect public drinking water supplies 
through minimum national standards that are im- 
plemented by the States. Under this act, EPA also 
regulates the underground injection of fluids and 
other imminent or substantial hazards to drink- 
ing water. In addition, health advisories are pre- 
pared on specific problems. 
Primary drinking water regulations are devel- 
oped for certain contaminants that may have ad- 
verse effects on human health. Maximum contami- 
nant levels are established or health advisories 
published using mammalian testing data. 
EPA's authority over groundwater is based on 
a number of the laws that the agency administers . 
The management of groundwater is a joint Fed- 
eral and State responsibility, but EPA provides tech- 
nical assistance to State agencies and prepares 
advisories dealing with common problems that en- 
danger groundwater. To some extent, these sup- 
port activities rely on toxicity data. 
Because groundwater is the source of drinking 
water for about half the U.S. population, the iden- 
tification and characterization of groundwater 
problems is an important part of the drinking water 
program. Over 700 synthetic organic chemicals 
have been identified in various drinking water sup- 
plies. Some epidemiologic evidence is available, and 
more is being collected to help characterize the 
toxicity of these contaminants, but animal testing 
data are mainly used. 
Solid Waste 
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA) (Public Law 94-580, 48 U.S.C. 6901) pro- 
tects public health and the environment by con- 
trolling the disposal of solid waste and by regulat- 
ing the management and handling of hazardous 
waste materials. EPA is authorized to develop reg- 
ulations governing the generation, transportation, 
treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous 
wastes. These regulations, in addition to State laws 
on waste, are enforced by the States. 
Animal testing is used to identify hazardous 
wastes. Toxicity is one of the criteria. RCRA regu- 
lations list chemicals that have been determined 
to be hazardous and processes that are presumed 
to generate hazardous waste. Analytical proce- 
dures for determining the contents of waste are 
also described, as are criteria for determining 
whether the contents are toxic or otherwise haz- 
ardous. When information does not exist for cer- 
tain wastes, EPA must develop it. RCRA does not 
require those who generate hazardous waste to 
test the toxicity of the waste. 
Because RCRA deals with solid waste, the pre- 
dominant health problems arise from the leach- 
ing of waste from disposal sites. EPA is in the 
process of selecting and validating tests for char- 
acterizing waste. These will look for acute and 
chronic effects on aquatic animals, primarily fat- 
head minnows. Partial or full life-cycle bioassays 
and fish bioaccumulation tests will also be required. 
The potential hazards to humans are character- 
ized with several mutagenicity tests. 
Data from tests with humans and animals are 
used under RCRA to develop "acceptable daily in- 
take" levels that are regulated under the act. Be- 
cause of the nature of exposure to these wastes, 
data from short-term and dermal tests are not used. 
Superfund 
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (42 
U.S.C. 9601), known as Superfund, authorizes the 
Federal Government to clean up or otherwise re- 
spond to the release of hazardous substances or 
other pollutants that may endanger public wel- 
fare. The most significant activity under CERCLA, 
from the standpoint of animal testing, is the desig- 
nation of hazardous substances. Substances des- 
ignated as hazardous under certain sections of 
other laws (TSCA, the Clean Air Act, the Clean 
Water Act, and RCRA) are also considered haz- 
ardous under CERCLA, and the EPA Administra- 
tor is to designate specific amounts of hazardous 
substances to be "reportable quantities,” based in 
part on toxicity data. 
One activity under CERCLA that diminishes the 
need for animal testing (because it assembles data 
on humans) is the compilation of a Toxic Substances 
