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Tumor-Generating Cold War Chemical Invades Water Supplies Across Nation
Daily Policy Digest

Environmental Issues / Water Problems

Thursday, December 19, 2002
Perchlorate, the main ingredient of solid rocket fuel and a known toxin, is being identified in local drinking-water wells in many states around the country. Identification of perchlorate releases has sparked a nasty controversy between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Defense Department, observers report.

 Defense-industry dumping is being blamed for nearly all the releases.
  • The EPA says the chemical can cause thyroid ailments such as Graves' disease and cancer in adults.
  • To date, the agency has identified 75 perchlorate releases in 22 states -- including Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts and California.
  • The EPA wants suspected water supplies tested nationwide, but the Pentagon -- which argues perchlorate isn't dangerous in small doses -- is resisting.
Eight states have passed advisory limits on perchlorate, but the U.S. is still years away from establishing a nationally-enforced standard.

 EPA's national assessment center has proposed a draft "reference dose" for perchlorate in drinking water of one part per billion. But the Pentagon and the defense industry say perchlorate should be allowed in drinking water in concentrations of up to 200 ppb.

 Source: Peter Waldman, "A Fuel of Cold War Defenses Now Ignites Health Controversy," Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2002.

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