[CPEO-MEF] Perchlorate in Santa Clara County (CA) - mushrooms vs. flares

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Bleach Data Incomplete

Opinion
Gilroy Dispatch (CA)
April 20, 2006

The City of Morgan Hill has a well contaminated with perchlorate. They 
must treat the water, and they want Olin Corp. to pay for it.

Part of Olin's defense is that there are other sources of perchlorate 
contamination. They are looking for said sources. They have tested 
runoff from the freeway. They have looked for naturally occurring 
perchlorate from rock degradation. They suggested that the Regional 
Water Quality Control Board check a mushroom farm located near the 
city's contaminated well.

The Regional Board sent a researcher, expecting to find nothing. 
However, when they sampled the wash water in a retention pond, they 
found perchlorate. They then tested four other mushroom farms. Three of 
the five had perchlorate contamination.

They released this information to Olin, the city of Morgan Hill, the 
city of Gilroy, the county, and the water district, before telling the 
growers the test results. The water district in turn sent out an e-mail 
to all these people stating erroneously that the perchlorate was 
introduced by bleach used to clean the mushrooms. Actually, the bleach 
is used to clean the floors, workers' feet, and equipment. Sanitation is 
vital in the food industry.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.gilroydispatch.com/opinion/contentview.asp?c=184021

--


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
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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