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View Full Version : EPA won't limit rocket fuel in drinking water



brittone2
09-23-2008, 12:43 PM
I am sure many of you saw this news in the past day or two but I thought I'd pass it along just in case.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkmR-wSU9LKmVT3Iduv0DS9XPTbAD93C18OO0

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/02/25/perchlorate.contamination/index.html
(From the above)
A report by Texas Tech University researchers, published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, tested breast milk of 36 women in 17 states. It found "measurable levels of perchlorate in every sample ... analyzed."
The study revealed "levels as high as 92 parts per billion (ppb), which expose infants to concentrations of the contaminant that are 20 times higher than the safe dose recently recommended by a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee."
"Our findings are very surprising because we found that perchlorate in breast milk is widespread, doesn't appear to come from drinking water, appears to suppress iodide in breast milk, and in some cases, the levels are really high," said Ph.D. student Andrea Kirk. Perchlorate can inhibit thyroid hormones and may cause iodine deficiencies that lead to learning disabilities or lower IQ.



The average 2 year old receives half of their daily "safe" exposure through food, and then drinking water contaminated with perchlorate can tip the scale past the "safe" level for many children (see link below)

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i04/8604news3.html

This isn't just an environmental issue. It impacts the lives and health of our children.

All of this during a time when over half of the scientists at the EPA feel their work has been subject to political interference.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/23/epa.scientists.ap/index.html
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i17/8617notw9.html

Sorry, this topic brings out my inner mama tiger ;)

Rainbows&Roses
09-23-2008, 03:24 PM
Thanks. I had not heard, although I can't say I am surprised.

The next administration really needs to take the environment and public health seriously. It should not be so hard to live without ingesting/breathing poisons. Lobbyists and corporations need to not be part of the picture when laws/regulations are being made/decided.

Alice523
09-23-2008, 06:30 PM
Yuck!

Thank you for posting this. I have a newborn and haven't kept up with the news beyond some election coverage. I really appreciate the shortcut. :)