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Rocket
fuel contaminates the drinking water of 16 million Californians.
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Perchlorate
is the major component of rocket fuel and pollutes the drinking
water of more than 16 million Californians. At very low levels,
the contaminant can damage the thyroid gland, which can lead to
attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities in children.
This winter, Environment California Research & Policy Center
continued to urge full cleanup of the contamination.
In January 2005,
Environment California released the report “Perchlorate and
Children’s Health: The Case for a Strong Cleanup Standard for
Perchlorate in Drinking Water,” which called upon state regulators
to set a low limit for perchlorate in drinking water and to force
polluters to fully clean up their contamination. The report outlined
the need to set a standard of one part per billion (1 ppb) for perchlorate
in drinking water that will protect the health of pregnant women
and newborn infants.
There is currently
no standard for how much of this chemical can be in our water supply.
Author Sujatha Jahagirdar, Environment California Research &
Policy Center clean water policy advocate, pointed to scientific
reviews conducted by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (U.S. EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection that conclude that in order to protect the health of
infants and pregnant women, a drinking water limit for perchlorate
of 1 ppb is imperative.
The report also
highlighted flaws in analyses conducted by California regulators
that are moving California toward a weaker standard. The report
received coverage in the Los Angeles Times and several local communities
affected by contamination.
In January,
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued an evaluation of the
health impacts of perchlorate. The study supported many of the conclusions
of the Perchlorate and Children’s Health report. In order to
ensure that state regulators fully consider the results of the NAS
study, Environment California wrote a letter, signed by numerous
environmental, public health and community groups, that urged the
state to review the NAS report and adopt a final safety limit for
perchlorate in drinking water at 1 ppb.
Thousands of
Environment California volunteers supported this effort. In the
span of just one week, more than 100 health professionals and over
250 children’s professionals submitted public comments to Gov.
Schwarzenegger in support of a final perchlorate drinking water
standard of 1ppb.
The petition
was also supported by community members at a forum organized jointly
by Environment California Research & Policy Center and the Center
for Community Action and Environmental Justice. Joined by state
Sen. Nell Soto, Asm. Gloria Negrete McLeod and several local officials,
one hundred residents of California’s Inland Valley, an area
heavily contaminated by perchlorate, voiced support for a strong,
protective standard for perchlorate in drinking water. “Rocket
fuel and kids don’t mix,” stated Jahagirdar. “The
state is obligated to protect the health of its most vulnerable
citizens.” The forum received coverage in several local publications,
including the Riverside Press Enterprise, San Bernardino Sun and
the Black Voice and aired on the local public access channel.
As a result
of these efforts, the California Environmental Protection Agency
is now considering whether to grant Environment California’s
petition to set a safety limit for perchlorate in drinking water
at one part per billion. In a January meeting with Environment California
Research & Policy Center and other environmental groups, state
officials stated that they are currently reviewing the petition
and determining whether to set a precautionary safety limit.
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