What yr did the FDA allow municipal water facilities to add Aluminum Sulfate to the H2O supply for purificatio

Question

Can anyone tell me what year the FDA allowed municipal water facilities to add Aluminum Sulfate ie, Cake Alum, to the municipal water supplies during the purification process?

Answer 1

Alum (aluminum Sulfate) was already in use when the FDA started regulating its use in 1974.  Alum was an early treatment technology in clotting of solids in the ttreatment process.  In 1974 the FDA actually started limiting the amount of Alum that could be used.  I bet you are worried about the aluminum in the product and it's health effects.  Current studies generally show toxicity to negligible in the amounts used in the prification process.  It's pretty prevalent as a technology at this point too.

Drinking Water Standards

The Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974 directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that public water systems (systems serving more than 25 people) and noncommunity water systems (hotels, campsites, restau- rants, migrant workers' encampments, and work sites) meet minimum standards for protecting public health. Its main provisions directed the EPA to establish minimum drinking water standards to limit the amounts of various contaminants found in drinking water. Because of growing concerns about the safety of the water supply, amendments were made to strengthen this law in 1986. These amendments required the EPA to do the following:

Develop a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) and a maximum contarninant level (MCL) for all regulated contaminants. MCLGs are nonenforceable health-based goals and represent the maximum level of a contaminant that is expected not to cause any adverse health effects over a lifetime. MCLs are enforceable contaminant levels. They are set as close to the MCLG as possible and are based on protecting public health within economical and technical reason.

Increase the number of regulated contaminants to a total of 83 by June, 1989. MCLs must be set for an additional 25 contaminants every 3 years thereafter.

Set required schedules for water systems to monitor for contaminants in drinking water.

Identify best available technologies (BATS) for removing excess contaminants from water, based on efficiency, availability, and cost.

Issue variances and exceptions to systems that cannot comply with MCLs despite the application of BATS, unless an "unreasonable risk" to health exists. "Unreasonable risk" has not yet been defined.

Provide for public notification when drinking water standards are violated.

Ban the use of lead pipes, solder, fittings, and flux in public water systems.

Bolster enforcement of penalties for violators of drinking water standards at the state and local level.

Provide for protection of groundwater sources.

Answer 2

Aluminum sulfate is not Alum.  Alum is hydrated aluminum potasium sulfate - KAl(SO4)2-12H2O