The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently received two data quality petition that challenges references to bromate as a carcinogen. This is the eleventh petition EPA has received. The first petition, filed July 21 by an individual working at the GDT Water Process Corporation, challenges any references to bromate as a carcinogen in EPA documents. The petitioner states that while potassium bromate is an acknowledged carcinogen, the simple and broad category "bromate" is not. The petitioner recommends that EPA relax any limitations on bromate "by two orders of magnitude," and regulate potassium as an end-product to ensure that high levels are not present. It is unclear exactly what information the petition is looking to correct, as it does not cite any specific documents, studies or papers only vague allusions to EPA's "references" that bromate is a carcinogen. The petitioner also appears to be arguing against the regulation of bromate in the water treatment industry. Currently, some water processors such as GDT use ozone in water treatment. EPA lists this method as a Best Available Technology (BAT). Ozone treatment is typically safer than the water industry's more typical chlorine process, as ozone is manufactured on-site, requires no storage, and uses smaller quantities during purification. Bromide naturally occurs in water, and when treated with ozone, bromate forms. EPA has established the Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule to regulate bromate at annual average of 10 parts per billion in drinking water. Certain brominated water disinfection by-products (DBPs) have been shown to have adverse reproductive effects and have been shown to cause cancer in rodents. The same individual filed a second petition on August 18. This petition also argues that EPA documents containing language calling bromate a carcinogen are false. However, in this challenge the requester cites a number of documents from EPA's website. The petitioner recommends correcting these and other documents on EPA's site by removing language referring to "all bromates" as carcinogens, leaving only references to potassium bromate as a carcinogen. He also recommends setting the MCL (maximum contaminant level) as 1.0 MG/L and establishing a preliminary limit on the amount of potassium in drinking water. EPA has not yet responded to either petition.