[CPEO-MEF] Oregon perchlorate

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Part 1: When dollars and health collide
Part 2: Pentagon pressured EPA on perchlorate
Part 3: Q&A: PERCHLORATE


When dollars and health collide
An inquiry into whether a toxic chemical is getting into milk and 
produce proves touchy

ALEX PULASKI
The Oregonian
January 7, 2007

State health officials began asking themselves in 2004 whether a 
chemical discovered in north-central Oregon's water wells might be 
creeping into the breadbasket region's produce and dairy milk, 
threatening its residents' health.

The answer they have signaled they will give in a final report in coming 
months is that, based on the state's limited food sampling, perchlorate 
doesn't pose a health danger to area residents. A public message to that 
effect last year came after intense lobbying from agriculture-related 
industries.

Intervening correspondence among state officials, obtained by The 
Oregonian through a public-records request, reflects behind-the-scenes 
strains of a balancing act between protecting the public health and 
ensuring the economic well-being of farmers and food processors.

In this case, the tension has reached beyond the state. The federal 
government has already questioned the validity of the state's work, 
saying it can't rely on Oregon's tests of milk and produce such as 
watermelons to assess human health risks stemming from perchlorate.




...

For the entire group of articles, go to
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1168059325281390.xml&coll=7
--


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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