Likely EPA Decision Puts Millions Of Americans At Risk

The Bush administration's apparent decision to allow perchlorate—the main ingredient in rocket fuel—go unregulated in drinking water leaves millions of Americans at risk.

The Washington Post, reporting on September 22, quoted EPA documents that said the agency's "preliminary regulatory determination" -- which was extensively edited by White House officials -- marks the final step in a six-year-old battle between career EPA scientists who advocate regulating the chemical and White House and Pentagon officials who oppose it. The document estimates that up to 16.6 million Americans are exposed to perchlorate at a level many scientists consider unsafe; independent researchers, using federal and state data, put the number at 20 million to 40 million.

"The Bush administration should not let this decision go forward," Paul Schwartz, Clean Water Action National Policy Coordinator. "This is a shocking concession to industry pressure that puts millions of pregnant women, children and others at risk."

Perchlorate, the main combustion ingredient in missile and rocket fuel, is a Cold War era chemical that interferes with thyroid function and may cause cancer. It is also present in fireworks and other propellants.

Extensive data show that perchlorate contamination in water and food supplies poses a serious threat to public health. Perchlorate exposure can harm mental and physical development. Fetuses and children are especially vulnerable to thyroid problems, even at low levels of exposure. The federal Food and Drug Administration tested 285 common foods and found the presence of perchlorate in 74 percent of the foods and beverages tested. Furthermore, a 2006 study by the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that 36 percent of women in the United States may be at risk from perchlorate exposure, and that far lower levels of perchlorate than previously thought can affect the human body.

The Defense Department and its contractors, the primary users and manufacturers of perchlorate, have long argued that the chemical does not pose significant health risks at levels being found in drinking water sources in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Ignoring the CDC study and others demonstrating the prevalence of perchlorate in food as well as water, including human breast milk, they have based their argument on an industry supported study of healthy adults that was not statistically viable and did not take into consideration impacts from long term exposure.

With perchlorate being found in drinking water sources nationwide, EPA has been under pressure to adopt standards and monitoring under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Legislation has been introduced in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate requiring EPA to do so. Massachusetts has adopted a perchlorate drinking water standard of 2 parts per billion (ppb) and California set theirs at 6 ppb. The New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute has recommended a 6 ppb standard.