"Proposed new beach pollution regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meant to protect public health, instead would continue to allow lots of people to get sick, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC."

"The EPA proposal, released in December, would allow 1 in 28 beachgoers to experience some gastrointestinal illness after swimming, rather than the 8 in 1,000 that were previously acknowledged. It’s mostly a tale of numbers, but the NRDC is trying to force the EPA to better the odds.

The EPA is under a federal consent decree to update the standards by October 2012. The current proposal is open for public comment until Feb. 21."

Dean Kuipers reports for the Los Angeles Times February 1, 2012. [2]