Beverages: Bottled Water; Companion Document to Direct Final Rule

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend its regulations to lift the stay of the effective date for the allowable levels in the bottled water quality standard for nine chemical contaminants, i.e., antimony, beryllium, cyanide, nickel, thallium, diquat, endothall, glyphosate, and 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin), that was imposed in a final rule published on March 26, 1996. By lifting the stay of the effective date, bottled water manufacturers will be required to monitor source waters and finished bottled water products at least once a year for these nine chemical contaminants under the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for bottled water. FDA is required to issue monitoring requirements for the nine chemical contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (SDWA Amendments). This proposed rule is a companion to the direct final rule published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

Agency Contact: Henry Kim, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-306), Food and Drug Administration, 200 C St. SW., Washington, DC 20204, 202-260-0631.