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Board declines multiple petitions on on‑site sewage installation standards and fluoride advisories; DOH to update guidance
Summary
The board declined petitions seeking statewide rule changes on on‑site sewage pipe bedding/backfill and to require affirmative safety determinations or infant‑formula fluoride advisories, saying local enforcement and ongoing DOH guidance revisions are the better path.
The State Board of Health declined several petitions that asked for rule changes calling for more prescriptive statewide installation standards for on‑site sewage components and for new drinking‑water rules or advisories related to fluoride and infant formula. Shay Bauman, board policy adviser, summarized the on‑site sewage petition: the petitioner alleged a contractor failed to follow manufacturer bedding/backfill instructions; Tacoma‑Pierce County Health Department investigated and suspended the installer's certification. Bauman noted local health jurisdictions may adopt more stringent local rules and that the Department of Health is revising guidance documents to address bedding and pipe installation concerns.
On fluoride petitions the board again declined requests for an affirmative statewide safety determination for drinking‑water additives and for a rule requiring DOH‑issued infant‑formula advisories when fluoride in drinking water meets a 0.1 mg/L threshold. Staff pointed to federal activity — the U.S. EPA’s ongoing fluoride human health assessment — and to ongoing DOH guidance updates and ethics reviews. Shay Bauman told the board the department has begun updating its web guidance and is preparing communications that reflect expert review. The board voted to deny the petitions and directed staff to notify petitioners of the actions.
