The Bush Administration is illegally concealing records about its regulation of a widely-used hazardous chemical, according to a lawsuit recently filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The chemical, perchlorate, is a rocket fuel additive used extensively since the 1950s by defense contractors and NASA. Perchlorate was used until the 1960s to treat Grave’s disease, a thyroid disorder. However, studies have shown the chemical can cause thyroid damage, leading to a variety of health problems such as impaired brain development in fetuses and young children.[1]
NRDC decided to pursue legal action after repeated requests for government documents went unanswered last year. The lawsuit alleges these requests were thwarted because the documents reveal a joint effort between the Bush Administration and defense industry to kill federal perchlorate regulations.[2]
Additionally, the Bush Administration is accused of withholding information about the scope of perchlorate contamination throughout the U.S. Pentagon records show perchlorate has contaminated the water supply for at least 20 million people in 30 states – especially California. The chemical has been used in every state except Vermont, and perchlorate levels were recently detected in lettuce and milk samples around the country.
“It appears that the White House and Pentagon have joined forces with a handful of defense contractors to stop EPA from doing its job,” said NRDC senior attorney Erik Olson. “They want EPA out of the business of protecting the public from this dangerous tap water toxin because it would cost the Pentagon and industry polluters millions of dollars to clean it up.”
EPA officials and environmentalists disagree with defense industry and Pentagon officials over the level at which perchlorate is dangerous to humans. EPA scientists recommend a limit of 1 part per billion in drinking water, equivalent to a grain of salt in an Olympic-size pool. Industry officials, citing their own scientific studies, have lobbied for a limit of 200 parts per billion. That would exempt most sites from cleanup laws, as most contamination is between 4 and 100 parts per billion.
In March, California became the first state to regulate perchlorate levels when a statewide environmental agency issued a public health goal of 6 parts per billion. Perchlorate is currently unregulated by federal law.[3]
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SOURCES:
[1] “Second Thoughts on a Chemical.” The New York Times. March 2, 2004.
[2] NRDC press release, March 24, 2004.
[3] California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment press release, March 12, 2004.
