Birth Trauma / Medical Malpractice

Date: 10/3/2008 5:28 PM

By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Federal regulators said Friday they don’t plan to try to rid drinking water supplies of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that’s been found in 35 states.

The Environmental Protection Agency will take public comment for 30 days before finalizing its decision not to regulate the contaminant, perchlorate, in drinking water. The Associated Press and other news outlets reported the agency’s plans last month based on internal EPA documents.

The announcement Friday provoked outrage from Democratic lawmakers and a lawsuit threat from environmental groups. Particularly widespread in California and Texas, perchlorate has been found to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses.

“EPA’s decision has industry’s fingerprints all over it. Weapons makers will benefit at the expense of millions of Americans,” said Earthjustice attorney George Torgun. He said Earthjustice would argue in court that perchlorate does qualify for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The decision on perchlorate has been pending for years as the Pentagon tussled with EPA over the issue.

The Defense Department used perchlorate for decades in testing missiles and rockets, and most perchlorate contamination is the result of defense and aerospace activities, congressional investigators said last year.

The Pentagon could face liability if EPA set a national drinking water standard that forced water agencies around the country to undertake costly clean-up efforts. But Pentagon officials have insisted they did not seek to influence EPA’s decision.

States have already moved ahead with their own drinking water standards, with California setting a limit of 6 parts per billion and Massachusetts setting it at 2 parts per billion.

EPA said in a press release Friday that it had determined that in more than 99 percent of public drinking water systems, perchlorate was not at levels of public health concern. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, “the agency determined there is not a ‘meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction’ through a national drinking water regulation.”

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On the Net:

Government Accountability Report with map of 35 states found to have perchlorate:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05462.pdf

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.