Perchlorate; Another Toxin to Worry About
By James Donahue
Among the disturbing pieces of information received in my e-mail was a report that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns of the discovery of lettuce highly contaminated by rocket fuel residue.
The story said our constant firing of rockets into space has created something called perchlorate pollution.
So what is perchlorate? Why should we worry about it? It seems that the stuff is being found everywhere, not just in our lettuce. And it has been around for a while.
Perchlorate is commonly used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants, munitions, fireworks, airbag initiators for vehicles, matches and signal flares. It is naturally occurring in some fertilizers. Its abundance is caused not only from rocket firings, but our constant state of warfare, our love of fireworks, signal flares and guns.
Research on this issue revealed that perchlorate also is found in our drinking water. It is contaminating most of the food we eat. One report warned that perchlorate has completely proliferated the environment and the health consequences could be disastrous. Contamination has been reported in 49 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Perchlorate is a possible carcinogen, a thyroid disrupter, and it may cause birth defects. One report said: "Perchlorate pollution in drinking water has become a major concern in some 20 states across the country, after an EPA recommendation that found perchlorate in drinking water poses dangers to human health, particularly to infant development, when found in concentrations above one part per billion."
The American Thyroid Association’s monthly journal has warned that exposure to perchlorate significantly increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune thyroid disease. Recent studies also have linked perchlorate exposure to high blood pressure, reduced lung function, and skin irritation.
Because it is used in so many household, industrial and military products perchlorate contamination is everywhere so avoiding this chemical can be difficult.
The best recommendations for defending ourselves is to drink purified water, eat only organic foods and perform periodic chemical and toxic metal cleansing. Taking an iodine supplement may also help.
Why hasn't the public been warned about this "new" health threat in our environment? Because it involves the use of rocket fuel and military armaments something called national security appears to be involved.
The Pentagon and several defense contractors, who face billions of dollars in potential cleanup liability for perchlorate pollution, are opposing an EPA health-risk assessment. Instead, they argue that perchlorate is safe in drinking water at levels 70 to 200 times higher than the EPA says is safe.
The White House recently proposed a bill in Congress, in the name of military "readiness," that would effectively exempt the Pentagon and defense industry from much of their potential liability.
Also the White House Office of Management and Budget reportedly intervened to delay further regulatory action on perchlorate, by referring the health debate to the National Academy of Sciences for review. According to Suzanne Ackerman, an EPA spokeswoman, the EPA has ordered its scientists and regulators not to speak about perchlorate pending the results of this study.
A government gag order prevented EPA scientists from commenting or elaborating on the two lettuce studies. They show that lettuce, available in U.S. supermarkets, appears to absorb and concentrate perchlorate from polluted irrigation water in significant amounts.
Using private funding, the Environmental Working Group in Oakland, Calif., paid Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, to test 22 lettuce samples purchased in January and February in the San Francisco Bay area. It chose the winter months when nearly 90 percent of the nation's winter lettuce supply is grown in Southern California and Arizona with perchlorate-tainted irrigation water from the Colorado River.
Four of the 22 samples tested were found to contain perchlorate in excess of 30 parts per billion. One sample of mixed organic baby greens, registered 121 parts per billion. The group concluded that 1.6 million U.S. women of childbearing age are exposed daily to more of this chemical from just winter lettuce than the EPA's recommended safe dose.
The questions are then, what other vegetables are tainted with perchlorate? And what is our space program and constant warfare doing to the long range health of the human race?
By James Donahue
Among the disturbing pieces of information received in my e-mail was a report that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns of the discovery of lettuce highly contaminated by rocket fuel residue.
The story said our constant firing of rockets into space has created something called perchlorate pollution.
So what is perchlorate? Why should we worry about it? It seems that the stuff is being found everywhere, not just in our lettuce. And it has been around for a while.
Perchlorate is commonly used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants, munitions, fireworks, airbag initiators for vehicles, matches and signal flares. It is naturally occurring in some fertilizers. Its abundance is caused not only from rocket firings, but our constant state of warfare, our love of fireworks, signal flares and guns.
Research on this issue revealed that perchlorate also is found in our drinking water. It is contaminating most of the food we eat. One report warned that perchlorate has completely proliferated the environment and the health consequences could be disastrous. Contamination has been reported in 49 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Perchlorate is a possible carcinogen, a thyroid disrupter, and it may cause birth defects. One report said: "Perchlorate pollution in drinking water has become a major concern in some 20 states across the country, after an EPA recommendation that found perchlorate in drinking water poses dangers to human health, particularly to infant development, when found in concentrations above one part per billion."
The American Thyroid Association’s monthly journal has warned that exposure to perchlorate significantly increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune thyroid disease. Recent studies also have linked perchlorate exposure to high blood pressure, reduced lung function, and skin irritation.
Because it is used in so many household, industrial and military products perchlorate contamination is everywhere so avoiding this chemical can be difficult.
The best recommendations for defending ourselves is to drink purified water, eat only organic foods and perform periodic chemical and toxic metal cleansing. Taking an iodine supplement may also help.
Why hasn't the public been warned about this "new" health threat in our environment? Because it involves the use of rocket fuel and military armaments something called national security appears to be involved.
The Pentagon and several defense contractors, who face billions of dollars in potential cleanup liability for perchlorate pollution, are opposing an EPA health-risk assessment. Instead, they argue that perchlorate is safe in drinking water at levels 70 to 200 times higher than the EPA says is safe.
The White House recently proposed a bill in Congress, in the name of military "readiness," that would effectively exempt the Pentagon and defense industry from much of their potential liability.
Also the White House Office of Management and Budget reportedly intervened to delay further regulatory action on perchlorate, by referring the health debate to the National Academy of Sciences for review. According to Suzanne Ackerman, an EPA spokeswoman, the EPA has ordered its scientists and regulators not to speak about perchlorate pending the results of this study.
A government gag order prevented EPA scientists from commenting or elaborating on the two lettuce studies. They show that lettuce, available in U.S. supermarkets, appears to absorb and concentrate perchlorate from polluted irrigation water in significant amounts.
Using private funding, the Environmental Working Group in Oakland, Calif., paid Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, to test 22 lettuce samples purchased in January and February in the San Francisco Bay area. It chose the winter months when nearly 90 percent of the nation's winter lettuce supply is grown in Southern California and Arizona with perchlorate-tainted irrigation water from the Colorado River.
Four of the 22 samples tested were found to contain perchlorate in excess of 30 parts per billion. One sample of mixed organic baby greens, registered 121 parts per billion. The group concluded that 1.6 million U.S. women of childbearing age are exposed daily to more of this chemical from just winter lettuce than the EPA's recommended safe dose.
The questions are then, what other vegetables are tainted with perchlorate? And what is our space program and constant warfare doing to the long range health of the human race?