Bush Delays Release of Study Showing Toxic Rocket Fuel in Most Americans

[Clara T]

White House Delays Release of Study Showing Toxic Rocket Fuel in Most Americans
 
WASHINGTON - March 3 - Following a published report that the Bush Administration is holding up a study that shows most Americans carry a toxic rocket fuel chemical in their bodies at levels close to federal safety limits, Environmental Working Group (EWG) is calling for the immediate release of the study so EPA and state agencies can take steps to protect the public.

Risk Policy Report, an independent newsletter, reported Feb. 28 that the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy is pressuring the Centers for Disease Control to delay the release of a study that tested for perchlorate in human blood samples from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). An EPA source told the newsletter that CDC has found levels of perchlorate that "leave no margin of safety" for the public, compared to EPA's current risk limit.

Perchlorate, the explosive ingredient in solid rocket fuel, has contaminated drinking water and soil in at least 35 states, with most of the known contamination coming from military bases and defense contractors. Tests by EWG, academic scientists in Texas and Arizona, state officials in California and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have found perchlorate in milk, produce and many other foods and animal feed crops from coast to coast. Perchlorate is a thyroid toxin, and animal tests show that even small amounts can disrupt normal growth and development in fetuses, infants and children.

The NHANES study is a followup to a CDC study last year that found perchlorate in the urine of every one of 61 Atlanta residents tested, even though concentrations of perchlorate in the cityÕs drinking water are very low. Last year, scientists at Texas Tech University also found perchlorate in every sample of human milk from 36 mothers.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0303-08.htm

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. Better living through chemistry . . .

sheesh.

[boobooday]

2. Nice.

My thyroid went south on me a few years ago. Maybe those years I lived at Edwards AFB, eh?

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Perchlorate is used in pyrotechnics of all kinds, not just solid rockets.

Perchloric acid is also commonly used in analytical laboratories. I don't think people should get the idea that it's only solid rocket boosters that are responsible for this. Road flares and fireworks contain plenty of perchlorate. Rockets probably contribute a tiny fraction of the whole.

Perchlorate could also be a byproduct of the chloralkali industry. It's manufactured by electrolysis of hot brine. Chlorine and sodium hydroxide are produced this way. If the chlorine is mixed back into the NaOH, you get hypochlorite (Chlorox). If the solution is kept hot and concentrated, and more Cl2 added, you get chlorate, then perchlorate. So there's a big chance that most of the percholrate in the environment is an unwanted trace byproduct of chlorate and bleach manufacture. It would be interesting to see if there's perchlorate in Chlorox and other bleaches.

I think referring to it as "rocket fuel" is misleading. Maybe call it "an oxidant, used in some fireworks, flares and rockets".

ON EDIT: It also shouldn't be referred to as "the explosive component" of rocket fuel. Perchlorate in the absence of a reducing agent (fuel) isn't explosive.

[NVMojo]

10. it's that the same stuff found along former railroad sites??? poured

into the soil???

[eppur_se_muova]

14. I hadn't heard about this. Got a link/reference? nt

[Nitrogenica]

4. Wow...huge story. I bet most Americans would be disturbed.

This is as big a bipartisan issue as it gets!
Is this site junk science then? I wonder if this checks out....

http://www.councilonwaterquality.org/know/myths.html

or if this site does.

http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/chemicals/perchl/perchlindex.htm

[tocqueville]

5. commondreams article BS regarding risks

Perchlorates are the salts of perchloric acid (HClO4). They occur both naturally and through manufacturing. They have been used as a medicine for more than 50 years to treat thyroid gland disorders. They are also used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and can be found in airbags, fireworks, and Chilean fertilizers. Both potassium perchlorate (KClO4) and ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) are used extensively within the pyrotechnics industry, whereas Ammonium perchlorate is a component of solid rocket fuel. Lithium perchlorate, which decomposes exothermically to give oxygen, is used in oxygen "candles" on spacecraft, submarines and in other esoteric situations where a reliable backup or supplementary oxygen supply is needed. Most perchlorate salts are soluble in water, giving strongly oxidizing solutions.

Perchlorate in the environment

Low levels of perchlorate have been detected in both drinking water and groundwater in 35 states in the US according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2004, the chemical was also found in cow's milk in the area with an average level of 1.3 µg/L, which may have entered the cows through feeding on crops that had exposure to water containing perchlorates.<1> According to the Impact Area Groundwater Study Program <2>, the chemical has been detected as high as 5 µg/L in Massachusetts, well over the state regulation of 1 µg/L.

In some places it is being detected because of contamination from industrial sites that use or manufacture perchlorate. In other places, there is no clear source of perchlorate. In those areas it may be naturally occurring or could be present because of the use of Chilean fertilizers, which were imported to the U.S. by the hundreds of tons in the early 19th century. One recent area of research has even suggested that perchlorate can be created when lightning strikes a body of water.

As of 2006, the EPA has not yet determined whether perchlorate is present at sufficient levels in the environment to require a nationwide regulation on how much should be allowed in drinking water. In 2005, U.S. EPA issued a recommended Drinking Water Equivalent Level (DWEL) for perchlorate of 24.5 parts per billion. In early 2006, EPA issued a “Cleanup Guidance” for this same amount. Both the DWEL and the Cleanup Guidance were based on a thorough review of the existing research by the National Academy of Science (NAS). This followed numerous other studies, including onewhich suggested human breast milk had an average of 10.5 µg/L of perchlorate.<3> Both the Pentagon and some environmental groups have voiced questions about the NAS report, but no credible science has emerged to challenge the NAS findings.


Perchlorate's health effects

At high levels, above 245 ppb according to the NAS, perchlorate can inhibit the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb iodine from the bloodstream. While the thyroid uses iodine to produce hormones, NAS says this process of “iodine uptake inhibition” (IUI) is not considered an adverse, or harmful affect. There has been some speculation that exposure to extremely high doses of perchlorate, for several months or years could lead to hypothyroidism, but NAS found that IUI was the only consistently documented health effect of perchlorate in humans. To put these doses into context, it is estimated a person would have to drink 400 gallons of water a day containing 20 ppb perchlorate before there could be a risk of any adverse effect. The NAS also found that perchlorate only affects the thyroid gland. There is no evidence to suggest it causes brain damage, birth defects or cancer in humans. It is also not stored in the body and any effects of perchlorate on the thyroid gland are fully reversible once exposure to these high levels stops. Currently, no water with perchlorate levels above 4 ppb is being provided to the public. There has been some concern on perchlorates effects on fetuses, newborns and children, however several peer-reviewed studies on children and newborns also provide reason to believe that low levels of perchlorate do not pose a threat to these populations. Even the American Thyroid Association reported in a press release on October 1, 2004 that perchlorate may not be as harmful to newborns, pregnant women and other adults as previously thought. (The ATA press release can be viewed at: http://www.thyroid.org/professionals/publications/news/04_10_01_perchlorate.html)

The NAS, despite finding that perchlorate levels as high as 245 ppb had no effect on the body, chose to be extra cautious and suggested a safety factor of 10 be applied in determining a safe dose of perchlorate. NAS then proposed a “reference dose” (which is the amount deemed to be safe if consumed daily over a lifetime) of 24.5 ppb and declared this would be protective of even the most sensitive subpopulations. The NAS report also stated additional research would be helpful, but emphasized that the existing database on perchlorate was sufficient to make its reference dose recommendation and ensure it would be protective for everyone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchlorate

[Clara T]

8. Both of those articles

are at best dubious. So similar a sentient human would find their antennae would rise. Sounds like Pentagon propaganda.

Of course the atomic bomb is from "all-natural' ingredients.

[tocqueville]

11. reread please

a person would have to drink 400 gallons of water a day containing 20 ppb perchlorate before there could be a risk of any adverse effect. The NAS also found that perchlorate only affects the thyroid gland. There is no evidence to suggest it causes brain damage, birth defects or cancer in humans. It is also not stored in the body and any effects of perchlorate on the thyroid gland are fully reversible once exposure to these high levels stops. Currently, no water with perchlorate levels above 4 ppb is being provided to the public. There has been some concern on perchlorates effects on fetuses, newborns and children, however several peer-reviewed studies on children and newborns also provide reason to believe that low levels of perchlorate do not pose a threat to these populations. Even the American Thyroid Association reported in a press release on October 1, 2004 that perchlorate may not be as harmful to newborns, pregnant women and other adults as previously thought. (The ATA press release can be viewed at: http://www.thyroid.org/professionals/publications/news/...)

The NAS, despite finding that perchlorate levels as high as 245 ppb had no effect on the body, chose to be extra cautious and suggested a safety factor of 10 be applied in determining a safe dose of perchlorate.

I worked 15 years as an environmental expert in Europe specifically a Scandinavian country. I can tell you that above makes sense. Besides it's not ONLY in the US perchlorate has been discussed. It's provenance is from Chilean fertilizer, plenty of other different sources and one of the minor ones is - rocket fuel. Except if you live at Cape Canaveral...

Why doesn't people get really alarmed at other substances (pesticides, dioxin) or heavy metals which are FAR FAR MORE DANGEROUS, is for me a mystery...

[Clara T]

13. It's all nasty

and people DO get alarmed at Dioxin, Pesticides etc. At least the people I know.

More Info:
According to the EPA's preliminary risk assessment, currently under review by the National Academy of Sciences, exposure to the chemical should not exceed 1 part per billion (ppb) in drinking water — the same level adopted by Massachusetts. Health officials in California have set a preliminary safety standard of 6 ppb.

Perchlorate can affect the thyroid gland's ability to make essential hormones. For fetuses, infants and children, disruptions in thyroid hormone levels can cause lowered IQ, mental retardation, loss of hearing and speech, and motor skill deficits. All three jurisdictions concluded that perchlorate exposure should be limited to a few parts per billion, but based on growing evidence showing harm at very small doses, EWG argues that a drinking water standard should be no more than one-tenth EPA's recommended level. Previous studies have shown that the rocket fuel chemical, leaking from hundreds of military bases and defense contractors' facilities, concentrates in lettuce grown with contaminated irrigation water. When contaminated water is used to grow alfalfa, cattle feeding on the hay take in the chemical and pass it on in their milk.

In the new studies, the Food and Drug Administration reported finding perchlorate in 217 of 232 samples of milk and lettuce in 15 states. FDA tested 104 samples of low-fat and whole milk, mostly bought in retail supermarkets in Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington state. The average concentration of the rocket fuel chemical was 5.76 ppb. More than 38 percent of the samples exceeded 6 ppb.

The FDA also tested 128 samples of green and red leaf lettuce, iceberg and romaine from growers and packing sheds in California, Arizona, Florida, Texas and New Jersey. The average concentration of perchlorate was 10.49 ppb. Almost 60 percent of the samples exceeded 6 ppb. The highest concentration, an average of 11.9 ppb, was found in 25 samples of romaine lettuce. Red leaf lettuce averaged 11.7 ppb, green leaf 10.7 ppb and iceberg 7.76 ppb.

http://www.dfwnetmall.com/earth/percholate.htm

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

15. Nothing dubious about those two articles being similar...

... Wikipedia is an open, collaborative resource. People submit material to it. It wouldn't be surprising if someone submitted material from the first source listed above, which would explain the similarities.

Now, if you have evidence that the claims in the first source are questionable, then that's another story.

[fed-up]

6. A major source is lettuce-two articles from EWG-one report from 12/2002

I quit buying/eating bagged lettuce a few years ago when I first read about the problem in the SF Chronicle.

http://www.ewg.org/reports/rocketlettuce/
High Levels of Toxic Rocket Fuel Found in Lettuce


Summary

Eating lettuce or other vegetables grown in fields irrigated by the Colorado River may expose consumers to a larger dose of toxic rocket fuel than is considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to test data and documents obtained by Environmental Working Group (EWG).


Test results never before made public show that leafy vegetables grown with contaminated irrigation water take up, store and concentrate potentially harmful levels of perchlorate, a thyroid toxin that is the explosive main ingredient of rocket and missile fuel.

Sworn depositions and other courtroom documents show that the giant aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin — a major user of perchlorate responsible for widespread contamination of Southern California water supplies — knew as early as 1997 that vegetables stored high concentrations of the chemical, but said nothing to the EPA or state health officials. Since most perchlorate-related work by defense contractors is done for the U.S. military, the Department of Defense may also have known, but said nothing to warn other agencies, consumers — or farmers whose crops, through no fault of their own, may be tainted by contaminated irrigation water.

If the perchlorate levels reported here are confirmed by further testing, immediate government action will be needed to reduce perchlorate in lettuce and other vegetables. In the interim, we strongly recommend that the Food and Drug Administration immediately begin testing lettuce and selected other vegetables grown with Colorado River water for perchlorate, and that the results of this testing be made public as soon as they are confirmed.


http://www.mercola.com/2003/may/14/lettuce_contamination.htm
U.S. Lettuce Supply Likely Contaminated With Rocket Fuel



Winter lettuce crops in California are contaminated with perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, which can harm humans, especially infants and developing fetuses, according to a study.

Exposure to perchlorate, which is highly water-soluble, can cause mental retardation, loss of hearing and speech, and motor skill deficits in developing fetuses. The compound is a known contaminate of drinking water in 20 states and also contaminates the Colorado River, which irrigates 70 percent of the United States’ winter lettuce supply, according to the study.

In the study, researchers analyzed 22 commercial lettuce samples, including prepackaged and head lettuces, adult and baby greens, and organic and conventionally grown.

Four of the 22 samples tested contained perchlorate in excess of 30 parts per billion (ppb). The highest sample, mixed organic baby greens, had 121 ppb. In 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency found that perchlorate in drinking water poses health risks in concentrations above one part per billion.

[tocqueville]

7. read above nt

[fed-up]

9. I have little faith left in NSA or most other gov't agencies...

[tocqueville]

12. its NAS not NSA

you can find similar reports in Europe. Or are we too controlled by Lockheed Martin ?

[Rex]

16. So we're all fucked again, like what is this?

The 36 or 37th time we've been screwed over? Most Americans...that means 200 million plus. And as usual, the Bush Whitehouse is blocking the release of information. Fascist bastards.

[populistdriven]

17. This stuff is benign compared to almost every other pollutant

I have an advanced degree and 8 years working experience as an environmental scientist

You should worry more about how much Benzene you absorb through your skin and inhale on a misty day in high traffic

You should also worry about those fumes from cans of Benzene / gasoline in your garage filtering into your HVAC system

You don't want your kids getting exposed to it but again, there are much worse things such as lead, mercury, pthalates and PCB's that you should be more worried about your kids exposure

[populistdriven]

18. Mix this with it and you have rocket fuel

30% Sodium Benzoate + 70% Potassium Percholorate = Rocket Fuel
http://www.angelfire.com/co2/sonicboom/rockets.html

Now check the soft drink isle to see what Sodium Benzoate is in :rofl:

http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/mountaindewlivewire/facts.asp

[populistdriven]

19. They used to give people 1 Gram of this stuff for Hyperthyroidism

http://www.councilonwaterquality.org/science/perchlorate_cancer.html

There were side effects
http://www.ewg.org/reports/rocketscience/chap2.html

But there are many other things to be more concerned about