Rocket Fuel Contaminates Americas Drinking Water

Another pollutant found in U.S. water supplies

 Independent testing of milk nationwide has shown near universal perchlorate contamination, often at concentrations well above safe limits. In 2004 and 2008 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published studies revealing contamination of most of the nation's food supply. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention randomly sampled almost 3,000 U.S. residents in 2006 and found perchlorate in every single person.

Perchlorates are the salts derived from perchloric acid and occur both naturally and through manufacturing. They are also used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags and fireworks. Large amounts of improperly stored ammonium perchlorate led to the PEPCON disaster, in which an explosion destroyed one of the two large scale production plants for ammonium perchlorate in the US.

The disposal of unused rocket motors and ammunition has led to contamination by perchlorates of several military installations, and two production sites of PEPCON and Kerr McGee in Henderson, Nevada, which were the biggest producers till the explosion of PEPCON in 1988 and the closure of the Kerr McGee plant in 1998, leaked significant amounts of perchlorates into the Las Vegas Wash and from there into Lake Mead and the Colorado River.

They have been used as a medicine for many years to treat thyroid gland disorders. Perchlorate greatly impacts human health by interfering with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland. In adults, the thyroid gland helps regulate the metabolism by releasing hormones, while in children, the thyroid helps in proper development.

Perchlorate is becoming a serious threat to human health and water resourcesand has contaminated ground water, drinking water and soil in 43 states of America, including Utah.

Small children and the unborn are the most vulnerable to perchlorate, which impairs endocrine function by interfering with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. Perchlorate crosses the placenta and shows up in breast milk, leaving infants and fetuses with even higher blood concentrations than their mothers.

The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country. EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed by The Associated Press.

EPA Ignores Toxic Rocket Fuel Chemical in Drinking Water

Under pressure from the White House and the Pentagon, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided not to set cleanup or safety standards for a toxic rocket fuel chemical that contaminates drinking water supplies for millions of Americans.

The Washington Post on Sunday reported EPA’s decision, which has not yet been publicly announced. It is a victory for defense contractors who have been fighting to avoid expensive clean-up operations at rocket launch sites and other military facilities where improper disposal of perchlorate has polluted groundwater. Scientists have linked perchlorate to thyroid problems that could impair the development of fetuses, infants and young children.

“The EPA had an opportunity to set a stringent drinking water standard for this toxic chemical that could have benefited millions of Americans, especially children,” said Dr. Anila Jacob, MD, MPH, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group. “Instead, the agency has chosen to ignore the science and listen to White House and Pentagon officials who care more about protecting defense industry profits than the health of America’s children.”

The disclosure that EPA will not take action against perchlorate contamination in water comes as an important new study by University of Texas researchers confirms that breast-feeding infants are routinely exposed to levels of perchlorate in breast milk that exceed the EPA “safe” dose. This finding is troubling because perchlorate interferes with the body’s ability to produce thyroid hormones, and inadequate levels of thyroid hormones interfere with normal brain development and growth.

Texas researchers found that nursing mothers secrete more of the toxic chemical into their breast milk than iodine, the building block of thyroid hormones. For developing children, the process is doubly dangerous: not only are breast-feeding babies getting unsafe doses of perchlorate, they are being denied iodine that could help offset some of the toxic chemical’s effects.

EPA has been under pressure from the Pentagon to overlook the potential health threats posed by perchlorate in order to help defense contractors avoid spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up contaminated sites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found perchlorate in the urine of all 2,820 people tested. The public health agency also found that one-third of American women whose iodine levels are on the low side and who had perchlorate in their urine demonstrated significant decreases in thyroid hormone levels.

Jacob noted that breast milk is by far the healthiest food for infants, and mothers should continue to breast-feed their babies. However, the perchlorate levels found in breast milk by the Texas study and others are alarming.

In Other American Health and Disability News

The Internal Revenue Service says it owes 1,475 Daviess Countians a total of nearly $500,000 in stimulus checks. Across Kentucky 67,198 people still haven't collected their stimulus checks, which most Americans received in May and June. The stimulus checks, Reynolds said, "have no impact on eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid or other benefits. And they will not be counted as income or require the recipients to file future income tax returns." To get the checks, people must have at least $3,000 in qualifying income from any combination of earned income, nontaxable combat and certain Social Security, Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement benefits.

Prescription-drug options will be dramatically reduced for thousands of elderly Arizonans next year as Medicare scales back the number of plans available to low-income seniors. Medicare said just two private drug plans will qualify next year for its program. That is down from the seven plans now available to more than 150,000 eligible Arizonans. The two available plans for 2009 are United Healthcare's SierraRx Basic and Health Net's Orange Option 1. The five eliminated from Medicare's roster of Arizona drug plans next year are Humana's PDP Standard, Sierra Rx, WellCare Classic and two UniCare plans. Medicare's low-income Rx plans

Health and Disability News for US Seniors:

Wachovia Corp., completing a previously announced settlement, will pay an estimated $163 million to settle federal allegations that it failed to stop telemarketers from taking advantage of thousands of elderly consumers, authorities said Friday. The Wachovia case, the subject of an 18-month investigation by bank regulators, was first announced in April. The parties spent several months working out some of the settlement’s details. Federal officials say the Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia didn’t act quickly enough to block telemarketers and payment processors from accessing customer accounts.

For senior citizens and members of the baby boomer generation entering their retirement years, the upcoming presidential election is all about money. Many older voters are concerned about health care, pensions, Social Security, energy costs and investments, pushing other issues to the background. The voting decisions that senior citizens and baby boomers make at the polls will have a major impact on the presidential election.

ROSELAND – The Health Department will hold its annual influenza/pneumonia clinic for senior citizens from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in the All Purpose Room at Borough Hall, 19 Harrison Ave. Call the Health Department between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to make an appointment. Phone messages will be returned in the order they are received and appointments may be confirmed only by staff members. There is no fee for residents 65 and older with Medicare, Part B. Residents who are pregnant and those between 18 and 49 with chronic diseases such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes must provide a doctor’s note to qualify for the vaccine. All other residents will be charged $20. A receipt will be provided for possible reimbursement from an insurance provider. To register, call the Roseland Board of Health at (973) 403-6027. Advance registration is required.

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