[CPEO-MEF] Pentagon targets a water pollutant

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California
SACRAMENTO BEE
Pentagon targets a water pollutant
Perchlorate alternative sought for rocket fuels
By Chris Bowman -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Wednesday, July 9, 2003

Faced with mounting evidence of a national drinking water threat, the
Pentagon has launched a top-priority search for an environmentally safer
alternative to a rocket fuel ingredient deemed essential to national
defense.

The move to find a substitute for perchlorate signals a growing
recognition of the chemical's widespread infiltration into well water
and its potential to impair hormone production and brain development,
especially in infants and fetuses.

The perchlorate threat is especially acute in California because of the
large number of military operations and defense contractors, such as
Aerojet's rocket-manufacturing plant in Rancho Cordova where the
chemical has contaminated many wells. Compounding the problem is the
state's heavy reliance on groundwater for drinking water.

A top Pentagon official disclosed the decision to find a perchlorate
substitute in an interview with The Bee on Monday, at the beginning of a
weeklong series of meetings with California officials.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/6998829p-7947586c.html

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