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Monday, October 06, 2008

EPA Won't Keep Rocket Fuel out of Water

As expected, the Environmental Protection Agency will not limit perchlorate in public drinking water supplies. Perchlorate is a chemical used in rocket and jet fuel and is a known inhibitor of human thyroid function. Because of its widespread use, perchlorate has made its way into drinking water systems across the nation.

EPA says that perchlorate is not present at high enough levels to cause adverse health effects in more than 99 percent of drinking water systems. Therefore, a limit on perchlorate is unnecessary.

EPA made the announcement on Friday afternoon when the federal government usually dumps information it doesn't want people to pay attention to. Juliet Eilperin at The Washington Post told the tale on Saturday:

Last month, The Washington Post reported that White House officials had extensively edited the EPA's perchlorate rule-making documentation to remove scientific data highlighting some of the risks associated with the chemical, which has been found in water in 35 states. The Defense Department and Pentagon contractors who face legal liability stemming from rocket fuel contamination have lobbied for six years to avoid a federal drinking-water standard for perchlorate.

In the document released yesterday, the EPA assumes that the maximum safe perchlorate contamination level is 15 times higher than what the agency suggested in 2002.

By that standard, the EPA estimates that more than 16 million Americans are exposed to the chemical at a level that is unsafe.

EPA will accept public comment on the rule once it is published in the Federal Register.