News Coverage
Perchlorate threat needs to be clarified, addressed
Published July 1, 2004
It is time to identify how big a problem perchlorate is and do what's necessary to deal with it.
Perchlorate is the primary ingredient in rocket fuel recently found to have entered our food chain, showing up in milk and the creatures and plants that lead to its production.
A week ago, the Environmental Working Group forced the state to release data showing that small quantities of perchlorate had been found in milk sold in Alameda and San Joaquin counties. Northern California doesn't have as big a problem as Southern California, however, since the contaminated milk originated in that part of the state. Most of the Bay Area's milk comes from counties without known perchlorate problems. Still, it's a warning and a nudge toward finding out what we can about the substance's threat to health.
We're behind the curve on this issue. Perchlorate is found increasingly in soil and water, although it has not yet been identified as the cause of any major public health problem. It spreads quickly and easily, reminding us of MTBE, the toxic substance in gasoline that rapidly contaminated wells and other water sources a few years ago.
Perchlorate already contaminates 350 water sources in California, including the Colorado River, which irrigates 1.4 million acres of farmland here and in Arizona. Closed military facilities are sources of contamination, but a former manufacturer of highway safety flares apparently polluted the South Santa Clara Valley aquifer and wells in Morgan Hill and San Martin.
Once in the food chain, perchlorate spreads quickly. It has been found in lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and alfalfa. Cows eat alfalfa, which is how the substance gets into milk, once the very symbol of a healthy childhood.
Scientists link it to thyroid problems and say it can contribute to motor-skill defects and mental retardation in children. Yet it is unregulated, and the true risks are unknown.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $4 million for cleanup in the Rialto-Colton Basin, where a 7-mile plume of perchlorate contaminated 22 drinking wells serving a half-million people in San Bernardino County. Frankly, $4 million is a pittance. More is needed.
The House is considering a bill by U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, that would provide $25 million for cleanup in the Santa Clara Valley. Yet we let the Pentagon, which was to report to Congress on perchlorate contamination at its facilities by April 30, slide. Two months later, it still hasn't provided the data. Congress must make it do so ASAP.
We need to know the hazards perchlorate poses. Then state and federal officials can set consumption standards and do what's needed to minimize or eliminate it.