News Coverage
Tainted lettuce
Perchlorate: Chemical findings must be addressed.
Published April 29, 2003
Et tu, lettuce? For consumers who have worried in recent years about mad cow disease, chicken viruses, mercury in fish, and other tainted-meat scares, this week's news that researchers have discovered a potentially dangerous chemical in lettuce was particularly troubling. Now the humble lettuce leaf can't be trusted?
Laboratory tests of nearly two dozen types of lettuce in Northern California found four that were tainted with perchlorate, a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel. The source is believed to be Colorado River water, which is used to grow much of California's produce.
The test results shouldn't trigger panic the samples were too small for that but they are a cause for serious concern. As a spokesman for the environmental group that funded the Texas Tech University study put it, evidence that one in five produce samples were tainted with rocket fuel is a significant finding.
All the contaminated samples had perchlorate levels at least four times higher than the EPA considers safe for drinking water. Perchlorate is an explosive salt used mainly by the federal government for rockets, missiles and the Space Shuttle. It is believed to cause thyroid problems when ingested, and pregnant women are strongly cautioned to avoid it because it can cause problems in developing fetuses.
Perchlorate has been found in numerous water supplies throughout the U.S., including the Colorado River, but the studies have not focused on produce. Now, they must.
The FDA has already started an investigation, but it should be even wider, with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture. Because perchlorate originated with federal space programs, federal money must fund the investigations and cleanup.
Immediately, California's consumers and growers must know how widespread the lettuce contamination problem actually is, and if any other vegetables or fruits are tainted. For the longer term, the federal government must establish a comprehensive, nationwide produce testing plan and take whatever steps are necessary to prevent perchlorate contamination in food and drinking water.