14 DAY TRIAL // A decision made under the Bush Administration, in 2008, held that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should not regulate levels of perchlorate in drinking water. The substance, which is heavily used in rocket fuel, will now make the object of such regulations, EPA decided.
The agency decided that the issue can no longer be ignored, and that limitations need to exist on the amount of the stuff that can be present in drinking water without significantly affecting the population.
Groups in the industry oppose the decision, saying that the risk the chemical posses is minute, and that levels are not nearly high enough to justify the introduction of federal regulations, Space reports.
But environmentalists and public health advocates applaud EPA's decision, saying that the agency did the right thing in taking care of this issue before it turned into a real problem.
In a statement released to the general public and the media, the federal agency argues that perchlorate can have negative effects on human health, such as for example impairing thyroid function.
This gland plays a critical part in absorbing iodine from the bloodstream, and also in producing hormones that are necessary during pregnancy. Shortages of these chemicals could drastically affect infants and fetuses developing in their mothers' wombs.
“Our decisions are based on extensive review of the best available science and the health needs of the American people,” explains Lisa P. Jackson, the EPA Administrator. Experts believe that regulations are necessary as a preemptive measure.
The debate as to whether perchlorate is dangerous even in low levels is still ongoing, but then again it's better to be safe than sorry, especially from a public health perspective. Perchlorate is used in rocket fuel, propellants, fireworks and flares.
“I think [that the EPA decision] is a real step forward. Perchlorate is a very pervasive contaminant. It has all the scientific underpinnings of something we have to be concerned about, and it's time to move forward,” says Thomas Burke.
The expert holds an appointment as the associate dean for public health practice and training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.
“The science has been pretty clear that at levels below 245 parts per billion in water, there is no measurable effect. If we're going to regulate it, it should be at levels where there is a risk of adverse affect,” argues Bill Romanelli.
He is a spokesman for the Perchlorate Information Bureau, a research organization set up and funded by the aerospace industry, which deals with studying the effects of perchlorate.
The group says that a national standard for regulating this chemical is not necessary.
“I applaud EPA's decision to regulate perchlorate in drinking water, which has been found at dangerous levels nationwide,” counteracted US Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
“Americans simply shouldn't have to worry that the water they drink and cook with will make them sick,” she added.