WASHINGTON - October 15, 2008 - The Environmental Protection
Agency has apparently decided that it is not necessary to remove from our
drinking water a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has been found in public
water supplies in the United States. The EPA reached this conclusion in a draft
regulatory document that has not yet been released to the public.
The ingredient is called perchlorate and has been found in at least 395 sites
in 35 states. The levels it is being found at could interfere with thyroid
function and might also pose developmental health risks, especially for babies
and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA has stated that requiring a cleanup to remove perchlorate would not
result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons
served by public-water systems." This conclusion was denounced by
Democrats and environmentalist groups, who are accusing the EPA of giving in to
pressure from the Pentagon.
The Defense Department has utilized perchlorate for years in their testing of
missiles and rockets. Most perchlorate contamination comes as a result of
defense and aerospace testing activities. The Pentagon could be found liable if
only the EPA would set a national drinking water standard that would force
water agencies throughout the U.S. to participate in and complete cleanup
efforts. Defense officials have spent years questioning the EPA's conclusions
about the risks associated with perchlorate.
The Pentagon has objected strenuously to the suggestion that it tried to
influence the EPA's decision. Officials claim that it has not intervened in any
EPA determinations for perchlorate regulation.
Apparently the Pentagon has been working for years to clean up perchlorate from
its facilities. The Pentagon also suggests that they are not the source of as
much perchlorate contamination as was once believed. Perchlorate contamination
also comes from fireworks, road flares, and fertilizer.
Pentagon officials do admit, however, that perchlorate in drinking water
presents a certain degree of risk. They also state that they are committed to
working with states and scientists to ensure that public health is protected
and that important opportunities for reducing these risks are utilized.
The EPA expects to seek comment and take any final actions before the end of
the year.
Perchlorate is especially widespread in California and other areas of the
Southwest. It has been found in groundwater in these areas as well as in the Colorado
River. The Colorado River is a drinking-water source for approximately 20
million people. Perchlorate has also been found in lettuce and certain other
foods.
Perchlorates
are the salts derived from perchloric acid (HC104). They occur both
naturally and through manufacturing. They have been used as a medicine for more
than 50 years to treat thyroid gland disorders. They are also used as an
oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags and fireworks.
Both potassium perchlorate (KC1O4) and ammonium perchlorate (NH4C1O4)
are used extensively within the pyrotechnics industry, whereas ammonium
perchlorate is a component of solid rocket fuel. Lithium perchlorate, which
decomposes exothermically to give oxygen, is used in oxygen “candles”on
spacecraft, submarines and in other esoteric situations where a reliable backup
or supplementary oxygen supply is needed. Most perchlorate salts are soluble in
water.