ESP 162 Arsenic in Drinking Water Reading Guide Name:______

ESP 162 Arsenic in Drinking Water – Reading guide Name:______

1.  Explain how arsenic typically ends up in drinking water. Why do we care about trying to control arsenic levels in drinking water (be specific)?

2.  Cost-benefit analysis almost always requires making simplifying assumptions about the situation of study. The EPA’s analysis of arsenic standards is no exception. Name at least two assumptions that were made. [HINTS: think about (1) parameter choices like discounting or the valuation of morbidity/mortality; (2) comprehensiveness of costs or benefits considered; (3) modeling of relationships between conditions (e.g. arsenic level) and outcomes.]

3.  What was the EPA’s objective? What metric were they considering when evaluating whether a policy was preferred. HINT: look in the last paragraph on page 8. If you’re really motivated you’ll figure out what’s meant by “…satisfy(ing) the statutory requirements of section 1412(b(6) of SDWA” (Averill 2003, 8).

References

Averill, Marylin. 2003. “Arsenic in Drinking Water.” Kennedy School of Government Case Program, case reference no. 1680.0, ed. José A. Gómez-Ibáñez. http://ksgcase.harvard.edu.