[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1699-E1700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION

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                            HON. JIM SAXTON

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 1999

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a bill that will aid the 
families of Toms River, New Jersey, a community in my district, as we 
continue to determine the cause of an unusually high rate of childhood 
cancers. Through extensive testing, a radioactive substance known as 
radium 224 has been detected in this drinking water supply. Today, we 
know very little about radium 224 and it is time we take a closer look 
at its possible effects on public health.
  My bill would require the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry (ATSDR) to complete a study of the toxicological effects of 
Radium 224 in drinking water. The study is to include an epidemiologic 
analysis of populations in areas where Radium 224 occurs in drinking 
water.
  It would also require the administrator of EPA to establish safe 
drinking water standards for Radium 224 under the Safe Drinking Water 
Act. This measure would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to instruct 
that each state revise its water quality assessment plan every five 
years and that the results be made available to the public.
  It has been reported that childhood cancer rates in the United States 
are increasing each year. More and more, we hear of other cancer 
clusters appearing around the country. This measure, coupled with the 
efforts of all those working on the Toms River case, will provide 
valuable assistance in addressing many of the mysteries associated with 
cancers in children. We have a commitment to find the cause of this 
cluster, and failing to do so would be a setback for everyone living 
near an environmentally hazardous site.

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