[CPEO-MEF] PERCHLORATE: New GAO report

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Perchlorate: Occurrence Is Widespread but at Varying Levels; Federal 
Agencies Have Taken Some Actions to Respond to and Lessen Releases

Government Accountability Office
GAO-10-769
August 12, 2010

Summary

Perchlorate is both a man-made and naturally occurring chemical. It is 
used in rocket fuel, explosives, fireworks, and other products. 
Naturally occurring perchlorate is produced through atmospheric 
processes and then settles on surface water or land. Perchlorate can 
disrupt the uptake of iodide in the thyroid, potentially interfering 
with thyroid function and negatively affecting fetal and infant brain 
development and growth. As of June 2010, there is no federal regulatory 
standard for perchlorate in drinking water, and the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), which has the authority to regulate 
contaminants in public drinking water systems, had not determined 
whether to establish one. The Department of Defense (DOD), the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of 
Energy (DOE) are the primary federal users of perchlorate. GAO was asked 
to examine (1) what is known about the extent to which perchlorate 
occurs in the nation's water and food supply and its likely sources; (2) 
what actions DOD, NASA, and DOE have taken to respond to or lessen 
perchlorate releases; and (3) what actions states, such as California 
and Massachusetts, have taken to regulate perchlorate. To address these 
questions, GAO analyzed data from EPA, DOD, NASA, and DOE, reviewed 
agency documents, and interviewed federal and state officials, 
researchers, and others.

Perchlorate has been found in water and other media at varying levels in 
45 states, as well as in the food supply, and comes from a variety of 
sources. EPA conducted one nationwide perchlorate sampling, between 2001 
and 2005, and detected perchlorate at or above 4 parts per billion in 
160 of the 3,865 public water systems tested (about 4.1 percent). In 31 
of these 160 systems, perchlorate was found above 15 parts per billion, 
EPA's current interim health advisory level. Sampling by DOD, NASA, and 
DOE detected perchlorate in drinking water, groundwater, surface water, 
soil, and sediment at some facilities. For example, GAO's analysis of 
DOD data showed that perchlorate was detected at almost 70 percent of 
the 407 installations sampled from fiscal years 1997 through 2009, with 
detections ranging from less than 1 part per billion to 2.6 million 
parts per billion. A 2006 Food and Drug Administration study found 
perchlorate in 74 percent of 285 food items tested, with certain foods, 
such as tomatoes and spinach, having higher perchlorate levels than 
others. According to researchers, concentrations of perchlorate at or 
above 100 parts per billion generally result from activities involving 
man-made perchlorate, such as the use of perchlorate as a rocket 
propellant. Lower concentrations can result from the use of man-made 
perchlorate, atmospheric processes, or the use of fertilizer containing 
naturally occurring perchlorate. According to DOD, NASA, and DOE 
officials, the agencies have sampled, monitored and, at several sites, 
begun cleaning up perchlorate. When DOD detects perchlorate at or above 
threshold levels--currently 15 parts per billion for water--DOD is to 
investigate further and may take additional actions. DOD has taken 
actions beyond initial sampling at 48 of the 53 installations with 
perchlorate detections above 15 parts per billion. NASA is in the midst 
of a cleanup at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and is 
monitoring the level of perchlorate in groundwater at three other 
facilities. In addition, DOE is cleaning up perchlorate at two 
facilities involved in high explosives research, development, and 
testing and is monitoring the level of perchlorate in groundwater at two 
other facilities. According to DOD, NASA, and DOE officials, the 
perchlorate detected at their facilities is largely the result of past 
disposal practices. Officials at these agencies told us that by 
complying with current federal and state waste disposal laws and 
regulations, they have lessened their perchlorate releases. In addition, 
DOD is developing perchlorate substitutes for use in weapons simulators, 
flares, and rockets. In the absence of a federal regulatory standard for 
perchlorate in drinking water, California and Massachusetts have adopted 
their own standards. California adopted a drinking water standard of 6 
parts per billion in 2007, and Massachusetts set a drinking water 
standard of 2 parts per billion in 2006. The key benefits of a 
regulatory standard cited by state officials include protecting public 
health and facilitating cleanup enforcement. However, limited 
information exists on the actual costs of regulating perchlorate in 
these states. Also, at least 10 other states have established guidance 
levels for perchlorate in drinking water (ranging from 1 to 18 parts per 
billion) or in groundwater. This report contains no recommendations.


For the original summary and a link to the entire report, see
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-769

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
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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