EPA to Set First Standards for Perchlorate in Water

[ProSense]

EPA to Set First Standards for Perchlorate in Water

By Kim Chipman

The Obama administration said it will set the first U.S. standard for perchlorate in drinking water, reversing a Bush-era decision against regulating the chemical that may impair the human thyroid and put babies at risk.

The Environmental Protection Agency said today it will propose a rule for the toxic chemical, which is used to make rocket fuel by companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and to produce fireworks and explosive devices. Former President George W. Bush’s EPA declined to set standards.

The chemical, found in more than 4 percent of public U.S. water systems, may hurt the development of fetuses and babies, the EPA said. The Perchlorate Information Bureau, a group funded by industries that make or use the chemical, said the EPA is misguided and a federal standard isn’t warranted.

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The EPA said 5 million to 17 million people may drink water containing the chemical, citing monitoring data. The agency said it received almost 39,000 comments about regulating perchlorate.

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[Kdillard]

1. Scary. Happy to see the EPA doing something about it.