Drink deep, or taste not the perchlorate stream

In a move that would shock anyone asleep for the past 7 years, the EPA won't limit rocket fuel in U.S. drinking water:

The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country.

EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.

The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.

The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems."

It's noteworthy that perchlorate also shows up in cow milk, presumably having been picked up from contaminated water. I see no reason that the same would not be true of human milk.

But your government decided to gamble with your safety, and with the safety of nursing mothers and their babies.

If it's any consolation, voting starts in less than 43 days.

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Earlier this week, a special report in the Oregonian uncovered the recent efforts by the White House and Pentagon to stymie the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to recommend safe levels of perchlorate (a component in solid rocket fuel) for water.
I couldn't resist this wonderfully explosive video on YouTube showing the unfortunate end of a red gummy bear when mixed with potassium perchlorate.
Perchlorate, a hazardous chemical in rocket fuel, has been found at potentially dangerous levels in powdered infant formula, according to a study (pdf) by a group of Centers for Disease Control scientists.
It contaminates the water supplies of about 11 million people in 35 states. It is suspected of interfering with iodide cycling in a way that could suppress thyroid hormone, a hormone necessary for the proper development of the fetus. Its source is military bases and aerospace companies.

Well - ya need to follow up with the science. People scream about lots of contaminants - some of them, like the anti-vaxers, without any scientific grounds at all. So, what does the science say on this issue? At what level in the human body does perchlorate become toxic? And who says so?

We'll know in a few years, won't we? Humans as lab animals; great idea. We got too many people anyway. Libertarianism uber alus.

I use a water filter in my house for all internal usage. I will be researching if perchlorate is removed . . .. No matter who says so.

By Another Oldfart (not verified) on 24 Sep 2008 #permalink