State Proposes Limit for Perchlorate in Drinking Water

The proposed limit is more stringent than the U.S. requires and would be enforceable.

Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone
Published August 28, 2006

Perchlorate, a toxic ingredient of solid rocket fuel that is contaminating hundreds of wells throughout Southern California, would be limited in drinking water under a new state standard proposed Monday. The California Department of Health Services plans to set a drinking water standard of 6 parts per billion, the same as a goal the state established two years ago. The standard, however, would be enforceable, whereas the existing goal is not. The proposal allows the health department "to address a contaminant that, unfortunately, is quite common in certain areas of California," said state Public Health Officer Mark Horton. "Perchlorate's potential for harm is of concern to pregnant women and their developing fetuses, as well as children, so limiting exposure to this contaminant is important for protecting public health." Most of the water contamination comes from military bases and aerospace plants, where perchlorate was widely used as the explosive component of solid rocket propellants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year set a much higher interim cleanup goal for perchlorate - 24.5 parts per billion. But the federal agency has not yet set an enforceable standard for drinking water. "The states are again acting in the face of inaction by federal EPA," said Bill Walker of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental health advocacy organization. "While we would have liked to have seen California's standard lower, and it could leave some Californians at risk, the big story is the difference between it and EPA's. This is another strong signal to EPA that its [goal] is much too high and that they need to stop the foot-dragging and move forward with a truly protective drinking water standard." Read the full article at http://www.latimes.com