It's Not Rocket Science

Nelson Daily News, Jan Norn
Published February 13, 2008

Let's count our blessings. Here in the Kootenays we have pristine water, a fact we generally take for granted. The Kokanee beer ads make a point of it, and we brag about it to our visitors, but most of us have no idea how important the quality of our wild water is. Let me introduce you to a villain: its name is perchlorate and it is a component of rocket fuel, munitions and some explosives. No one seems to know how much of the ground water in the States has been contaminated by the leaching of perchlorate from old storage sites, but the problem is huge. A study done by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2006 tested a cross-section of 2,820 people from fifty US states - they found perchlorate in the urine of every single person. What has this got to do with us? Well, think about it - it is unlikely that all those people who were tested lived close to a source of contamination, so where did they pick it up? Most likely from the food they ate and the liquids they drank. Once the ground water in an area is contaminated, the bad stuff soon spreads to the crops grown there and to the animals used for milk or meat. Those lovely vegetables in a New York store may have been irrigated with water from an area that no one would suspect of containing nasties. Milk from cows drinking the same water can cause problems for children thousands of miles away. How much of the food we purchase, be it fresh, frozen, processed or canned, might be from areas where the water has not been tested for perchlorate? We have absolutely no way of knowing. This is one of the best arguments I have come across for the Hundred Mile Diet - grow your own stuff or buy it locally and the problem solves itself. Perchlorate attacks pregnant women and children. It inhibits the absorption of iodine into the thyroid gland, thus suppressing the normal production of hormones. Lack of these hormones can affect the intellectual development of a fetus or a young child. Breast milk can also contain detrimental levels of the chemical, so it is important for a nursing mother to be aware of this potential danger. A very recent study conducted by the FDA in January, 2008, found that almost three-quarters of the 285 foods and beverages that they analysed contained perchlorate, at levels that put the health of millions of children at risk. Most vulnerable are two-year olds, as they are starting to eat solids, and as they consume foods that are more likely to be contaminated with the chemical, such as dairy products, vegetables and fruit. Currently the 'safe' level of perchlorate in drinking water is designated by the EPA to be 24.5 parts per million, but this is considered far too high by scientists at the Environmental Working Group, who say that even 4 ppm could allow a two-year old to exceed the safety margin. So what is the best way to avoid the encroachment of this insidious villain? It won't show up on the labels of any food or beverage that you purchase, so you had best ask lots of questions at the grocery store and check the origin of each item. Buy locally if you can. Remember that cosmetics can be contaminated as well - your skin is not impervious. Do talk to your doctor about iodine levels, as women with low iodine are the most vulnerable to perchlorate. Give some thought to growing your own garden this summer. Kootenay water and Kootenay sunshine are not gifts that we should ignore. Jan's column is featured on Wednesdays. Her books are available at local stores or from her website www.kitchen-cosmetics.com.