Associated Press, Staff
Published January 4, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY - The state Department of Agriculture and Food will
begin testing groundwater for perchlorate this spring after the
rocket fuel chemical was found in milk samples in Utah.
Larry Lewis, spokesman for the department, said perchlorate testing
will be done in more than 400 water sources in Utah, Summit, Wasatch,
Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties as part of the state's
annual May through October groundwater sampling.
Half the samples will be taken from drinking water wells, one quarter
from irrigation wells, 15 percent from springs and 10 percent from
wells used for livestock.
"This is a result of ongoing public concern and interest in
perchlorate in the environment," Lewis said. "We want to see if
it's in the groundwater, find out what's there and act accordingly."
The presence of the chemical in drinking water supplies nationwide
has been a growing concern. In December 2004, perchlorate was
detected in Utah's tests of milk. The tests contracted to a private
lab, DataChem Inc. of Salt Lake City, showed results ranging from
2.95 parts per billion to 6.22 parts per billion in six samples. Five
of the six samples tested closer to the higher end.
Lewis said his agency is trying to abide by U.S. Food and Drug
Administration guidelines. "Their basic recommendation is that those
low, low trace amounts appear not to be a problem for consumers, and
that people should not alter their diets, avoid foods that contain
those extremely low levels of perchlorate."
The Environmental Protection Agency has not established a standard
for perchlorate but has set a "reference dose" for the substance at
24.5 ppb for drinking water. Meanwhile, some states have opted for
tougher controls. Massachusetts, for example, has a standard of 1
ppb. California is considering a 6 ppb standard.
Perchlorate is the explosive component of solid rocket fuel. It is
used in munitions, including gunpowder, fireworks and highway flares,
as well as airbags, leather finishing, rubber, paint and enamel
production.
Concern over the chemical grew after a 1988 explosion at a
perchlorate manufacturing plant in Henderson, Nev., which left two
employees dead and allowed the chemical to begin leaching into Lake
Mead. That plant was relocated the following year to a site 15 miles
west of Cedar City.
The state's testing list does not include water supplies near Western
Electro-Chemical Corp., or Wecco as it's known.
Bill Walker, a vice president of the Environmental Working Group,
said omitting testing at the Iron County plant seems to be "a major
oversight."
Although the chemical has been in use for decades, its impact on
human health is unclear. Some studies suggest that perchlorate even
above 100 ppb poses no danger; others indicate that even tiny
concentrations interfere with thyroid function in fetuses and young
children.
California first found perchlorate in water sources near military
contractors and air fields, then launched a statewide program that
revealed many water supplies tested positive.
In Utah, the EPA has identified perchlorate in water supplies at Hill
Air Force Base; Thiokol, the rocket manufacturer west of Brigham
City, and Alliant Techsystems, whose rocket facilities stretch across
both West Valley City and Magna.
The discovery of perchlorate in one of the Magna Water Co.'s wells
prompted it to stop production in the well and get rid of the chemical.
"Fortunately, it's been in the 8 to 10 ppb range," said Magna Water
manager Ed Hansen. "But until there is a definite (standard
established by EPA), our board felt we needed to isolate it and not
allow any of it to go into our system."
