State (CA) Proposes Limit for Perchlorate (rocket fuel) in Drinking Water

[fed-up]

excellent article on the story of perchlorate

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-perchlorate29aug29,0,4030059.story?coll=la-home-local

State Proposes Limit for Perchlorate in Drinking Water

The proposed limit is more stringent than the U.S. requires and would be enforceable.
By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer
August 29, 2006

Perchlorate, a toxic ingredient of solid rocket fuel that is contaminating hundreds of wells throughout Southern California, would be limited in drinking water under a new state standard proposed Monday.

...snip

Most of the water contamination comes from military bases and aerospace plants, where perchlorate was widely used as the explosive component of solid rocket propellants.

...snip


More than 450 wells and other water sources operated by more than 100 water agencies in California — primarily in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Sacramento counties — have been contaminated by perchlorate, according to the state health department. One of the biggest tainted sources is the Colorado River, which supplies vast amounts of water to Southern California.

The chemical also has been widely found in milk, cheese, lettuce and other crops that are tainted by irrigation water, as well as human breast milk and baby formula.




and another article from Science news

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060812/fob2.asp

Week of Aug. 12, 2006; Vol. 170, No. 7 , p. 99
Macho Moms: Perchlorate pollutant masculinizes fish

Janet Raloff

Known largely as a component of rocket fuel, perchlorate is a pollutant that often turns up in soil and water. In dozens of studies, it has perturbed thyroid-hormone concentrations, which can affect growth and neurological development. Data from fish now indicate that perchlorate can also disrupt sexual development.

Some of the changes were so dramatic that scientists initially mistook female fish for males. Several females displayed male-courtship behavior and produced sperm.


...snip

The first sign of something amiss: Among perchlorate-exposed fish, many would-be dads lacked the electric-blue and red coloration that normally signals readiness to spawn. Most of these fish didn't exhibit typical reproductive behaviors, such as nest building, and many ignored prospective mates. Among clean-water males, 80 percent spawned. As the perchlorate concentration climbed from 30 to 100 ppm, successful spawning fell from 50 percent to zero.

Eventually, the bellies of three apparent males began swelling with eggs. They proved to be hermaphroditic females, bearing both fertile eggs and fertile sperm.


...snip

[Kajsa]

1. It's about time. I'm glad that

they are bringing attention to this
and limiting the poison dumped into
our drinking water.

Now, if they could just eliminate it, altogether,
----.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. What a concept - limiting how much rocket fuel you drink, or bathe in - -

.
.
.

NO fuel burns completely - that's why we get all this pollution from our cars - no large city is free from smog because of it . .

Imagine what it is like in the areas that rockets are launched from!

I suspect that airports contribute a considerable amount of environmental pollution also -

Do y'all know that it is, (or at least was) standard practice for airliners to dump their extra fuel in the air prior to landing as a safety precaution? (in case of a crash ya know)

I have a very sensitive system when it comes to environmental pollutants - just the man-made crap - I do just fine in the bush and natural/un-chlorinated water.

A personal experience I had, took me a bit to figure it out.

One day I awoke with a throbbing headache, it lasted for three days

I NEVER get headaches, people are amazed I do not even have anything like aspirin in my home.

After the headache subsided, I could think better, and concentrated what I had done different the day before the headache materialized.

Well, I was living in North Bay at the time, and went to the annual "Heritage Festival" we have here which included an air-show that day.

As I watched a fighter jet do almost a vertical climb, (North Bay has a large Air-force base - part of NORAD) - I thought to myself "gee - that guy just burned enough fuel in that climb to keep my truck fueled for YEARS" - and also noted the smell of the unburnt fuel -

THAT WAS IT - it was breathing in the exhaust fumes from that jet that gave me the headache - I have literally had to stumble outside of shops(I'm an auto mechanic) where others had run vehicles without using exhaust hoses to vent the fumes outside - and would literally collapse in the snow - just shy of fainting - and a splitting headache would follow - -

There was no other change in my routine/diet at that time

I never attended another festival for the remainder of my time in North Bay, as a matter of fact, I made sure I was out of town (camping) when the festival occurred, as the Jets would fly over my apartment on their way to the Lakefront where they did their show.

Never had a headache since - and that was 4 years ago

hmmmmmmm

[IDemo]

3. Bushco has issued a gag order on this, no surprise

Rocket Fuel Residues Found in Lettuce

BUSH ADMINISTRATION ISSUES GAG ORDER ON EPA DISCUSSIONS OF POSSIBLE ROCKET-FUEL TAINTED LETTUCE

[CHIMO]

4. Free Trade Agreements in the Americas

Most people are surprised
when you tell them that under
NAFTA Congress gave Canadianowned
corporations the right to
challenge California’s law that protects
its drinking water from a carcinogenic
gasoline additive called
MTBE. The disbelief in their
eyes grows when you explain to
them that under NAFTA our
congressional representatives also
agreed to discourage federal and
state governments from purchasing
U.S.-made products.

http://www.willamette.edu/centers/publicpolicy/projects/oregonsfuture/PDFVol4No1/brentfoster.pdf#search=%22nafta%20mtbe%20canada%20copps%22

[brentspeak]

5. Lots of horror stories in chemistry world regarding perchlorate compounds

Chemists tapping test tubes of aluminum perchlorate and blowing off their arm and half their face. Nasty stuff.

[Javaman]

6. This may explain the horrible coffee each morning...

It tastes awful but damn, it wakes me up.