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EPA advisers seek perchlorate review; Scientists hope agency rethinks decision not to issue standard

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 15, 2008 at 7:10 am

From the Washington Post:

The Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific advisers have warned the agency that it should delay final action on its decision not to set a federal drinking-water standard for perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel, because the computer model underlying the decision may have flaws.

In a letter last week, the heads of EPA’s Science Advisory Board and its drinking water committee urged EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson to extend the public comment period on its preliminary determination to not regulate perchlorate. That decision is set to become final next month.

Perchlorate, which is present in the water systems of 35 states, accumulates in the body from consuming water, milk, lettuce and other common products and has been linked in scientific studies to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and infants.

“Given perchlorate’s wide occurrence and well-documented toxicity to humans, the [Science Advisory Board] strongly believes that there must be a compelling scientific basis to support a scientific determination not to regulate perchlorate as a national drinking water contaminant,” Advisory Board Chairwoman Deborah L. Swackhamer and Joan B. Rose, chairwoman of the board’s drinking water committee, wrote Nov. 5.