Study: Rocket fuel chemical taints food, water

http://www.healthsentinel.com/news.p...st_item&id=639

Michael Coren, "Study: Rocket fuel chemical taints food, water", CNN,
February 25, 2005,
Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/02/25...ion/index.html

There are few sure ways to avoid ingesting perchlorate, the chemical
used in rocket fuel that researchers have detected in breast milk at
levels five to eight times higher than those considered safe, experts
say.

Studies by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental
Protection Agency suggest that perchlorate enters the food supply
through reservoirs and tainted irrigation water that contaminates crops
and livestock.

The chemical has been found in store-bought produce, such as lettuce,
in milk and in public drinking water supplies across the United States.
More than 11 million people have some level of perchlorate in their
drinking water, according to the National Research Council.

Perchlorate is used in explosives and as an ingredient in solid rocket
fuel. Although found naturally in some areas, production of the
chemical began in the mid-1940s by the U.S. military and aerospace
industry, which accounts for 90 percent of its use, according to the
EPA. Few consumer products contain the chemical, which is used in
mortars, grenades, fireworks, lubricating oils and air bags.

A report by Texas Tech University researchers, published this week in
the journal Environmental Science & Technology, tested breast milk of
36 women in 17 states. It found "measurable levels of perchlorate in
every sample ... analyzed."

The study revealed "levels as high as 92 parts per billion (ppb), which
expose infants to concentrations of the contaminant that are 20 times
higher than the safe dose recently recommended by a National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) committee."

"Our findings are very surprising because we found that perchlorate in
breast milk is widespread, doesn't appear to come from drinking water,
appears to suppress iodide in breast milk, and in some cases, the
levels are really high," said Ph.D. student Andrea Kirk. Perchlorate
can inhibit thyroid hormones and may cause iodine deficiencies that
lead to learning disabilities or lower IQ.

The study found concentrations of perchlorate in breast milk averaged
10.5 micrograms per liter. Breast milk from two women in New Jersey
showed the highest levels of perchlorate with nearly 92 micrograms per
liter. The authors say this exposes many infants to a daily dose above
that recommended by the NAS, about 0.7 microgram per kilogram of body
weight.

"It is obvious that the NAS safe dose [for perchlorate] ... will be
exceeded for the majority of infants," the report said.

Since different regions of the country growing produce may be
contaminated, perchlorate-tainted produce may change seasonally. The
chemical cannot be washed off and could be present in products such as
manufactured beverages.

The EPA reports that wastes from the manufacture and improper disposal
of perchlorate-containing chemicals are increasingly being discovered
in soil and water. There have been confirmed perchlorate releases in at
least 25 states, the agency said.

For pregnant women, doctors say iodine supplements should compensate
for iodide deficiencies during pregnancy.

But Sandra Steingraber, biology professor at Ithaca College in New
York, does not recommend switching infants to formula since breast milk
is still the best source of sustenance for newborns.

"In my mind, the answer it is not to put babies back on formula which
is inferior in my mind," said Steingraber. "It is to get the
contaminants out of the environment in the first place and out of
women's breasts."

Last week, the EPA adopted National Academy of Sciences recommendations
for daily perchlorate exposure of 0.7 microgram per kilogram of body
weight, known as a "reference dose" not expected to harm public health.
A preliminary limit by the EPA set the bar much lower at 0.03
micrograms. The EPA claims the new dose still provides a "ten-fold
uncertainty factor" to protect developing fetuses and newborns.

However, public interest groups insist the Texas Tech study means the
standard falls far short of what is needed to protect public health and
the agency must reconsider the standard. The EPA has said it is
reviewing the study.

"This study showed that the majority of infants would exceed the safety
standard just from exposure to rocket fuel in breast milk," said
Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group, a watchdog
organization. "We think this study will practically force the EPA to
set a public standard for perchlorate rocket fuel that protects infants
and children."

Acute perchlorate contamination in the U.S. occurs primarily around Air
Force installations and manufacturing plants. Since it dissolves easily
in water, it spreads rapidly in water supplies. About 20 million pounds
of perchlorate are produced annually, according to the Environmental
Working Group.

Perchlorate poses some health risks to adults despite being used to
treat thyroid conditions in humans during the 1960s. However, the most
serious risks from the chemical are magnified for children.