[CPEO-MEF] 1/3 of wells tainted in San Martin, tests show

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

California
Posted on Wed, Feb. 12, 2003
1/3 of wells tainted in San Martin, tests show
LARGER AREA THAN EXPECTED HAS FUEL IN DRINKING WATER
By Frank Sweeney
Mercury News

More than a third of drinking water wells in San Martin could be
contaminated with perchlorate, and the chemical has spread farther than
expected, according to results released Tuesday by the Santa Clara
Valley Water District.

Perchlorate, used in rocket fuel and linked to thyroid disorders, has
been detected in mostly small concentrations in 90 of the 271 wells
tested, but water officials are awaiting results of tests of hundreds
more wells.

``It's scary stuff,'' said Sylvia Hamilton, president of the San Martin
Neighborhood Alliance, who praised the water district for its work
getting the wells tested. ``I'm really afraid for the community.''

Perchlorate has been a hot-button issue in South County since last month
when it was discovered that contamination had spread in the underground
aquifer at least four miles south from its source, a highway safety
flare manufacturing firm operated by Olin in south Morgan Hill from 1955
to 1996.

Perchlorate is a salt used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, safety flares
and other similar products. When ingested, it interferes with the iodine
intake of the thyroid gland, which regulates hormones.

Pregnant women, who can pass on the toxin to their fetuses, and infant
children are most susceptible. The chemical can interfere with
neurological development in fetuses and small children, and cause
thyroid tumors in adults.

The results seem to confirm officials' concerns that the contamination
in the underground water aquifers has spread farther than they initially
believed.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/5162414.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~