News
May 6, 2008
There is a "distinct possibility" that the U.S. EPA will pass on
restricting perchlorate in the nation's water supplies, an agency
official said Tuesday. Perchlorate, a rocket fuel ingredient that has
been found at some 400 places in 35 states, can muck up normal thyroid
function. But Benjamin Grumbles, the EPA assistant administrator for
water, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that he
wasn't sure national regulation of perchlorate would do much good, and
that the agency might simply issue an informational public health
advisory. The Defense Department is Read more
News
February 13, 2008
Food is the primary source of perchlorate for most Americans, and U.S. toddlers on average are being exposed to more than half of the U.S. EPA's safe dose from food alone, according to a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) diet survey designed to provide perchlorate and iodine intake averages from food for the entire U.S. Even though the new study is silent on intake by highly exposed populations, several lawmakers and environmental advocates renew their calls for a national perchlorate drinking-water standard, EPA is not divulging its plans.
The agency, which has been Read more
The agency, which has been Read more
News
February 5, 2008
ABC 4 Investigation
SALT LAKE CITY - For sixty years, Rocket testing in the state of Utah has been a point of pride.
Such testing has been a creator of high-paying, high-tech jobs and a hub for military research and development. Now, half a century later, we're learning these tests have come at a price; the ultimate costs, no one quite knows.
It's in the form of a chemical called perchlorate, a key component of solid rocket fuel and other weapons systems. It was manufactured and stored in Utah, not always with the greatest of care.
In Read more
SALT LAKE CITY - For sixty years, Rocket testing in the state of Utah has been a point of pride.
Such testing has been a creator of high-paying, high-tech jobs and a hub for military research and development. Now, half a century later, we're learning these tests have come at a price; the ultimate costs, no one quite knows.
It's in the form of a chemical called perchlorate, a key component of solid rocket fuel and other weapons systems. It was manufactured and stored in Utah, not always with the greatest of care.
In Read more
News
January 22, 2008
EPA Must Set a Safety Standard for Perchlorate in Tap Water to Protect Children [note we're asking EPA to set a drinking water standard, not change their safe dose]
WASHINGTON - January 22 - A recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that three quarters of 285 commonly consumed foods and beverages are contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket fuel ingredient. According to the study, every day, the average two-year-old is exposed to more than half of the EPA 'safe' dose (RfD) of perchlorate from food alone. This is bad news for Read more
WASHINGTON - January 22 - A recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that three quarters of 285 commonly consumed foods and beverages are contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket fuel ingredient. According to the study, every day, the average two-year-old is exposed to more than half of the EPA 'safe' dose (RfD) of perchlorate from food alone. This is bad news for Read more
News
December 19, 2007
A small survey in 2005 reported high levels of perchlorate in the breast milk of nursing mothers in the U.S. Now, in a study published online December 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A., molecular biologists uncover the mechanism that can concentrate perchlorate in breast milk.
"This is important because it suggests that infants are the most vulnerable population, and the effects of perchlorate exposure through breast milk have not been studied," says thyroid researcher Tom Zoeller at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Perchlorate is both a Read more
"This is important because it suggests that infants are the most vulnerable population, and the effects of perchlorate exposure through breast milk have not been studied," says thyroid researcher Tom Zoeller at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Perchlorate is both a Read more
News
December 3, 2007
(BRONX, NY) -- Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that perchlorate-an industrial pollutant linked to thyroid ailments-is actively concentrated in breast milk. Their findings suggest that perchlorate contamination of drinking water may pose a greater health risk than previously realized. The study appears in the December 3-7 advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For decades, millions of Americans have been exposed to perchlorate through contamination of their local water supplies. The U.S. Read more
For decades, millions of Americans have been exposed to perchlorate through contamination of their local water supplies. The U.S. Read more
News
October 6, 2007
PASADENA - This month, for the first time, the state will begin regulating the amount of the toxin perchlorate in drinking water.
As of Oct. 18, California will require that water contain no more than six parts per billion of the rocket-fuel additive, putting regulatory force behind what had been just a suggested limit for the past five years.
That amount is about the same as a tablespoon of ink in an Olympic-size pool.
The change, lauded by some environmentalists, will make California only the second state, behind Massachusetts, to regulate the chemical in Read more
As of Oct. 18, California will require that water contain no more than six parts per billion of the rocket-fuel additive, putting regulatory force behind what had been just a suggested limit for the past five years.
That amount is about the same as a tablespoon of ink in an Olympic-size pool.
The change, lauded by some environmentalists, will make California only the second state, behind Massachusetts, to regulate the chemical in Read more
News
August 29, 2007
The state is in the final stages of setting a standard dictating how much perchlorate can be in your drinking water.
The cap on the amount of the widespread contaminant that can be in the drinking water could be in place within weeks.
But the proposal of 6 parts per billion is not one that will sit well with the environmental community.
It could also lead to hikes in water rates, as water purveyors are forced to begin cleaning perchlorate from the water they serve.
"We're disappointed that in light of all the accumulating evidence that Read more
The cap on the amount of the widespread contaminant that can be in the drinking water could be in place within weeks.
But the proposal of 6 parts per billion is not one that will sit well with the environmental community.
It could also lead to hikes in water rates, as water purveyors are forced to begin cleaning perchlorate from the water they serve.
"We're disappointed that in light of all the accumulating evidence that Read more
News
August 5, 2007
RIALTO - Marene Deischer is convinced perchlorate in the city's drinking water is responsible for her son's health problems.
Jerry Deischer's thyroid gland doesn't function. He has to be given testosterone, artificial growth hormones and drugs that boost his weak immune system.
He uses a wheelchair, wears supportive gear, has mild mental retardation, hearing loss and at 22, can't speak.
Marene's two older children who were born in Los Angeles County have no major health problems.
But she lived in Rialto while pregnant with Jerry and another baby Read more
Jerry Deischer's thyroid gland doesn't function. He has to be given testosterone, artificial growth hormones and drugs that boost his weak immune system.
He uses a wheelchair, wears supportive gear, has mild mental retardation, hearing loss and at 22, can't speak.
Marene's two older children who were born in Los Angeles County have no major health problems.
But she lived in Rialto while pregnant with Jerry and another baby Read more
News
April 12, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC, April 12, 2007 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to investigate the impacts of two water contaminants ”“ perchlorate and MTBE ”“ on human health.
Most of the perchlorate manufactured in the United States is used as the primary ingredient of solid rocket propellant. Wastes from the manufacture and improper disposal of perchlorate-containing chemicals are increasingly being discovered in soil and water.
MTBE is a fuel oxygenate, added to gasoline to make it burn more cleanly. Releases of MTBE to ground and surface water can Read more
Most of the perchlorate manufactured in the United States is used as the primary ingredient of solid rocket propellant. Wastes from the manufacture and improper disposal of perchlorate-containing chemicals are increasingly being discovered in soil and water.
MTBE is a fuel oxygenate, added to gasoline to make it burn more cleanly. Releases of MTBE to ground and surface water can Read more
for Perchlorate