Ammonium perchlorate is an inorganic salt used in solid rock

[rama@accutek.com]

The Interagency Perchlorate Steering Committee (IPSC) will be holding
two one-day forums for stakeholders:

Tuesday, August 25, 1998 in Salt Lake City and Magna, Utah and Thursday,
August 27, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ammonium perchlorate is an inorganic salt used in solid rocket fuel, in
munitions and in the pyrotechnics industry. Perchlorate manufacturers
estimate that approximately 90% of perchlorate is used for solid rocket
fuel. Ammonium perchlorate dissolves as easily as table salt, and the
resulting anion is stable and can persist for decades in the
environment, and moves easily through both groundwater and surface
water. Perchlorate has been detected in 110 public water supply wells
in California from at least 14 distinct sources, in the Colorado River
from sources in Nevada, and in surface or groundwater in Utah, Texas,
New York, Maryland, and Arkansas.

A number of key pieces of information are necessary to characterize the
risk of perchlorate contamination in order to formulate appropriate
management strategies to mitigate potential risk. Accurate
characterization of exposures rely on reliable analytical detection
methods. The exposure estimates cannot be gauged with respect to their
risk unless a robust health risk estimate is available. Treatment
technologies should be targeted to levels of concern and tailored to the
intended use of the water. Research to obtain additional data and
development of new methods or applications are underway in most of these
areas to ensure that the state-of-the-science is brought to bear on
addressing the unique issues of perchlorate contamination. Technology
transfer is necessary so that all affected parties and concerned
citizens are apprised of accurate and reliable information that is up to
date with the evolving state-of-the-science.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the forums is to disseminate information on the
key scientific issues and hear stakeholder concerns related to potential
perchlorate contamination in the environment. The forums will cover a
broad range of topics including:

-background and occurrence
-health effects and toxicology studies
-analytical techniques
-ecological impacts
-regulatory and policy issues
-treatment technologies
-future stakeholder involvement

Background materials on perchlorate issues will be sent in advance of
the forum to those who register with the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline
by August 18, 1998. The IPSC is seeking input from State and Tribal
drinking water programs, the regulated community (public water systems),
public health organizations, academia, environmental and public interest
groups, engineering firms, and the public on a number of issues related
to perchlorate contamination in the environment.

The IPSC encourages the full participation of stakeholders at the
forums.

Tuesday, August 25, 1998 Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Building 2, Room 101 168 North 1950 West Salt Lake City, Utah Forum:
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Evening public session: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Magna Senior's Center
Magna, Utah

Thursday, August 27, 1998 Arizona State University - West La Sala Rooms
B and C, University Center Bldg. 4701 West Thunderbird Phoenix, Arizona
Forum: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

REGISTRATION: To register for one of the forums, please contact the EPA
Safe Drinking Water Hotline by calling 1-800-426-4791 or 703-285-1093
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT or by sending an e-mail message to:
hotline-sdwa@epa.gov. There is no registration fee for the stakeholder
forum, but participants should pre-register. Those registered by August
18, 1998, will receive a draft agenda, logistics information, and
discussion papers prior to the forum. Please provide your name,
organization, title, mailing address, telephone number, facsimile
number, and e-mail address, and specify the date of the forum you will
attend. The agenda for the forums is the same in both cities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on forum
logistics, please contact the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1-800-426-4791. A Federal Register notice of the stakeholder forums on
perchlorate issues will be published on or about August 7, 1998.

The IPSC is a working partnership of governmental agencies chartered to
facilitate and coordinate issues related to potential perchlorate
contamination in the environment.

IPSC Membership as of August 1998:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, National Institute for
Environmental Health Sciences, National Aeronautics & Space
Administration, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, California
Department of Health Services, Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Utah
Department of Environmental Quality, Utah Department of Health
Laboratories, Cocopah Indian Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ft.
Mojave Indian Tribe, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Quechan Indian Tribe.

Grace Marie Potorti Rural Alliance for Military Accountability (RAMA)
Director PO Box 60036 Reno NV, 89506

Http://www.rama-usa.org rama@accutek.com 702-677-7001