[CPEO-MEF] Sen. Feinstein on EPA Perchlorate Guidance

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 


Thursday, January 26, 2006 
                http://feinstein.senate.gov/

Statement of Senator Feinstein Criticizing
EPA for Weak Perchlorate Remediation Standard


"I was surprised and disappointed today that the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA)  issued a preliminary remediation goal for 
perchlorate cleanup at 24.5 parts per billion (ppb). This preliminary 
standard is unacceptable and could put the health of thousands of 
Americans at risk. It also ignores perchlorate contamination in food.
The fact that California, the largest state in the union, has set a 
target for perchlorate remediation at 6 ppb for drinking water, and 
considers exposure to perchlorate contamination from both water and food 
sources should cause real concern.



By contrast, the EPA preliminary standard is four times higher and 
wrongly assumes that perchlorate contamination is found only in drinking 
water, without accounting for the ingestion of perchlorate from milk, 
fruits, and vegetables.

Additionally, this preliminary standard converts the EPA reference dose 
to a drinking water level, based on the consumption of water for a 155 
pound (or 70 kilogram) adult. So this doesn't accurately reflect the 
risk to children, pregnant women and their unborn children.

I will be asking the EPA to reconsider this preliminary decision and 
will continue working with officials from California and throughout the 
nation to address this growing problem."


Background

In sufficient doses, perchlorate, a chemical used for explosives, 
rockets, and missiles, has been shown to impair thyroid function and 
result in neurological impairment of fetuses and babies, metabolic 
disorders and other problems. Nationwide monitoring has found that 
perchlorate has endangered the water supply of 35 States, including 
California.

In November 2004, the Food and Drug Administration reported detecting 
perchlorate in 90% of lettuce samples collected in California, Arizona, 
Texas, Florida and New Jersey.  Additionally, 101 out of 104 milk 
samples purchased from retail stores around the country, including 
Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Washington, Missouri, Texas and 
Kansas, contained perchlorate.

Children may be vulnerable to perchlorate because it has been shown to 
reduce the production of thyroid hormone. This hormone plays a critical 
role in development, and insufficient levels can permanently damage a 
child's physical and mental abilities.

###
--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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