News Coverage
Senate bill prods EPA to develop perchlorate standard
Published March 28, 2003
New federal legislation aims to bump up the timetable for developing national drinking water standards for perchlorate. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has introduced legislation that would require the EPA to establish a standard for perchlorate contamination in drinking water supplies by July 1, 2004.
The agency is currently working on a perchlorate standard, but it is not expected to be finalized for several years. "Perchlorate is a clear and present danger to California's public health," Boxer said. "We can't wait four more years to address this threat. The EPA needs to get moving and protect our drinking water sooner rather than later."
Alarming levels of perchlorate have been discovered in Lake Mead and the Colorado River, the drinking water source for millions in Southern California.
Communities in the middle part of the state, such as in the San Gabriel Valley, the Santa Clara Valley and the Sacramento area are also grappling with perchlorate contamination.
According to research conducted by Washington-based Environmental Working Group, more than 20 million Americans drink water from public and private sources known to be polluted with perchlorate. This figure includes customers of 81 contaminated water systems in California and all residents of California, Arizona and Nevada who get at least some of their drinking water from the Colorado River.
Perchlorate - the main ingredient in missile and rocket fuel - is used is manufacturing a variety of products, including ammunition, fireworks, highway safety flares, air bags and fertilizers.
It dissolves readily in many liquids, including water, and moves easily and quickly through cracks and water.
Perchlorate has been linked to a variety of health problems, including thyroid problems and cancer.
Californians face special threats from perchlorate contamination because so many rockets and missiles were built and tested in the state during and after World War II. Groundwater can become contaminated wherever the chemical is manufactured, used, disposed of or stored.
The state's current provisional drinking water standard for perchlorate, which is only advisory, is 2 to 6 parts per billion. The EPA's current draft standard is equivalent to 1 ppb.
Boxer's legislation does not specify what the standard should be but mandates that it be set at a level that will protect the most sensitive populations.
According to the EWG, recent studies suggest that the standard should be no higher than one-tenth the EPA's recommendation, or 0.1 ppb.