News Coverage
Call for perchlorate probe warranted
Published May 2, 2003
Thumbs up Kudos to Sen. Barbara Boxer, who on Monday called on the federal government to investigate whether the chemical perchlorate is building up in crops irrigated with Colorado River water. In a letter to the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Boxer, D-Calif., warned against "ignoring the possible contamination of our food." Boxer cited a study released Monday by an Oakland environmental group that suggested the chemical, an ingredient in rocket fuel, concentrates in lettuce leaves irrigated with river water.
Tests sponsored by the Environmental Working Group suggest Colorado River water used for irrigation carries the chemical to the plants, where it concentrates in the leaves. The group billed the report as the first hard evidence that shows consumers are being exposed to levels of perchlorate above proposed government standards for drinking water through the produce they buy in supermarkets. The lettuce for the study was purchased in Northern California grocery stores. Four of 22 lettuce samples tested positive for the chemical, according to the report. The average positive lettuce sample contained 72 parts per billion of perchlorate, according to the study. By comparison, the state of California is considering a drinking water perchlorate standard of two to six parts per billion. No one should be eating rocket fuel in lettuce. We will be keeping an eye on this particular probe.