[CPEO-MEF] Rep. Solis's perchlorate statement

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Solis: Protect Public Health and Drinking Water; Establish Drinking 
Water Standard which Protects Public Health

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), Vice Chair of 
the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, gave the following 
statement at today's [April 25, 2007] House Environment and Hazardous 
Materials Subcommittee hearing titled "Perchlorate: Health and 
Environmental Impacts of Unregulated Exposure." Solis spoke in support 
of H.R. 1747, the Safe Drinking Water for Healthy Communities Act of 
2007, legislation she introduced to establish a national drinking water 
standard for perchlorate.

"Chairman Wynn, thank you for holding this hearing today.

"It is our responsibility to both protect public health and preserve our 
drinking water supplies. Unregulated perchlorate contamination threatens 
both.  As a result of the Administration's failure to regulate 
perchlorate in a manner that protects public health, our water providers 
and consumers are bearing the brunt of contamination and public health 
and drinking water supplies are at risk.

"Perchlorate presents a risk to human health in vulnerable populations, 
including pregnant women and children. In October 2006, the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention found significant changes in thyroid 
hormone levels in humans who were exposed to perchlorate, including 36 
percent of women, approximately 43 million, who are high risk. Children 
are exposed to an average of 1.6 times more perchlorate than adults.

"Since 1997, 456 drinking water sources in California have been found 
with perchlorate contamination, including more than 100 in Los Angeles 
County. This chart exhibits the widespread perchlorate contamination in 
the Los Angeles Basin. The City of Baldwin Park, which I represent, is 
home to the first perchlorate treatment facility in the nation.

"Despite the widespread contamination of perchlorate and its impact on 
both public health and our water supply, the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), have engaged in a game 
of finger pointing and delay.

"According to the EPA, the Defense Department is deferring all remedial 
action relating to perchlorate contamination at or from its facilities 
until a Federal drinking water standard is adopted. Since 2002, the 
Defense Department actively sought to exempt itself from state and 
Federal public health and environmental laws which protect drinking 
water supplies from chemical constituents of military munitions, 
including perchlorate. Meanwhile, the EPA has historically failed to 
exercise enforcement authority to undertake remedial actions to address 
perchlorate contamination at Department facilities that are listed on 
the Superfund National Priorities list.

"We must protect public health and drinking water supplies by 
establishing a national primary drinking water standard that is 
protective of vulnerable populations. That is why I have introduced H.R. 
1747. Any further delay in establishing a Federal drinking water 
standard could result in unnecessary public health risks and 
unacceptable losses of water and resources.

"The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies agrees, and stated it 
believes my bill "will reduce potential health risks, save water 
providers and ratepayers future treatment expenses, and protect sources 
of drinking water." The City of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Basin Water 
Quality Authority, and the Center for Community Action and Environmental 
Justice support passage of H.R. 1747.

"I thank our witnesses for joining us today and I look forward to 
finally making progress in the direction of public health and drinking 
water protection."

###




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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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