[CPEO-MEF] PRESS RELEASE: CSWAB GAINS TESTING FOR MILITARY TOXIN

[info@cswab.com]

September 12, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

For more information contact:
Laura Olah, CSWAB (608)643-3124


CSWAB GAINS TESTING FOR MILITARY TOXIN

MERRIMAC, WI ? For the first time anywhere in Wisconsin, groundwater
testing for perchlorate ? a toxic contaminant found in rockets,
missiles, and military pyrotechnics ? will be conducted at a
WDNR-regulated site.  The precedent-setting decision to conduct testing
at Badger Army Ammunition Plant is the result of a recent report and
call for action by Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB), a
local organization monitoring Department of Defense cleanups.

Laura Olah, Executive Director of CSWAB, made the announcement today at
a meeting of the State of Wisconsin/Department of Defense Pollution
Prevention Alliance held at Volk Field Air National Guard Base.  The
Alliance is a working group of the EPA, WDNR, and military officials
representing the Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force, and
the Air National Guard.

?The WDNR?s decision to start testing at Badger is an important first
step,? Olah told the group.  ?We?re here today to encourage you to
develop a plan to address the potential for perchlorate contamination at
other bases and in other communities.?

Perchlorate is a health concern because it interferes with iodide uptake
in the thyroid gland. Because iodide is an essential component of
thyroid hormones, perchlorate disrupts how the thyroid functions.  In
adults, the thyroid helps to regulate metabolism.  In children, the
thyroid plays a major role in proper development.

?Perchlorate is a serious environmental concern because it does not
naturally degrade and can persist for decades,? Olah said.  ?Once in the
environment it is also extremely mobile.  It dissolves as easily as
table salt and readily moves through soils to groundwater.?

Unlike many other states, Wisconsin has not established drinking water
or groundwater standards for any of the perchlorate compounds.  CSWAB
has called on the Wisconsin Division of Health to get this process
underway.  Other states, including New Mexico and Maryland, have
established health-based standards as low as 1 ppb (part per billion) in
drinking water.

The WDNR will begin testing at Badger Army Ammunition Plant later this
month.  For more information or a copy of the report, call CSWAB at
(608)643-3124.

-END-

--
Laura Olah, Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, WI  53561
phone (608)643-3124
fax (608)643-0005 alt fax (608)643-2682
Email: info@cswab.com
Website: http://www.cswab.com

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