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UPPING THE ANTE
National Academy of Sciences report reignites debate on danger of perchlorate
By Michael Collins
(Pasadena Weekly - January 20, 2005)
The Jan. 10 release of the National Academy of Sciences report on the hazards of perchlorate recommends
national drinking water standards be radically more lax than those that the Environmental Protection Agency
currently strives for, reigniting the debate over the toxic rocket fuel oxidizer that has permeated the water of 16
million Californians and threatened drinking supplies in 35 states.
What hangs in the balance is the health of millions of kids and billions of dollars in cleanup costs that the
polluters, including the Departments of Defense and Energy, don't want to spend on perchlorate-polluted sites
across the nation. Adding to the mix, the Weekly has learned that an upcoming study will show that perchlorate
has been detected in breast milk that is not resultant from consuming water contaminated with the chemical,
suggesting that the toxin has permeated the food chain to an extent previously unknown.
More than 330 drinking water sources in California have registered concentrations of perchlorate at or above the
state's provisional action-reporting level of 6 parts per billion (ppb).
Wells registering in at 18 ppb or above are taken out of service for human consumption. Los Angeles County has
138 wells tainted by the toxin. Pasadena has shut down 10 of its 16 drinking water wells due to perchlorate
contamination emanating from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The 176-acre lab is in the midst of a $114
EPA-mandated Superfund cleanup being carried out by the space agency.
Following stricter guidelines than those set by the state, Pasadena shuts down wells when perchlorate levels
measure above 6 ppb, which is the state's current public health goal for consumption and the number on which
action-reporting levels are based, said Pasadena Water and Power General Manager Phyllis Currie. If a well
reaches the 6 ppb mark, state law would require Pasadena to notify residents of perchlorate levels in their
drinking water. Because Pasadena instead stops serving water at that level of contamination, Currie said the
National Academy of Sciences report will have no immediate effect on the city. However, "We would like to see
some clarity brought to this issue," she said of scientific debate over perchlorate dangers.
In August Pasadena shut down two water wells, one of them located near Villa Parke and another near the
intersection of North Allen Avenue and Monte Vista Street, when perchlorate levels jumped to as high as 9.8 ppb,
said Shan Kwan, director of Pasadena Water and Power's Water Division. In response to those closures and
fearing nearby East Pasadena wells could soon become contaminated, Pasadena City Council members moved in
December to start drawing up treatment plans for polluted wells near Villa Parke. Threatened wells are located
within as little as a mile or two from the now-shuttered Monte Vista Street well, said Kwan, and some of them are
already showing perchlorate readings of 1 to 2 ppb.
There's good reason to be fearful of perchlorate contamination. The chemical interferes with how the thyroid
functions and is especially dangerous to fetuses, babies and children. It causes thyroid iodine deficiency that in
turn limits the gland's ability to produce a hormone essential to neurological development. "On average, children
of iodine-deficient mothers have 5 to 13 fewer IQ points compared to children of mothers with iodine-sufficient
diets," according to a report issued last week by the Environment California Research and Policy Center.
"Reduced thyroid levels in the first few weeks of life for pre-term and low birth-weight babies are associated with
increased risk of neurological disorders, including the need for special education by age nine."
The NAS study recommends that the federal government allow 23 times the amount of perchlorate be allowed in
drinking water than the federal EPA does. The 15-member panel concluded that humans could safely consume
water with as high as .0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, versus the .00003 milligrams per kilogram that
the EPA currently uses. This so called "reference dose" determined by the NAS is part of a process that will lead
to a nationwide EPA "maximum contaminant level" (MCL).
Naturally, the study has some environmental leaders infuriated. "Sen. [Barbara] Boxer is not at all pleased with the
results of this NAS study," said David Sandretti, a spokesman for the senator. "She feels that they did not use
sound science; that they relied too heavily on the five human tests that they did. In terms of legislation coming
down in the next Congress, Sen. Boxer will be reintroducing a 'Right to Know' bill for the community so they know
what is in their drinking water and that this particular contaminant is present. She's also going to be introducing
legislation to force the EPA to set a date certain for an MCL standard."
"Using seven human subjects [in one test] is statistically unstable," said Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist for
the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental group that strongly criticized the report. "And
the NAS did more than just hang its hat on that. They labeled alterations in thyroid levels as not adverse. I use
thyroid hormone levels to guide my decisions on whether to treat a patient with medication. When you put all
[these] things together, it undermines the results and their recommendations."
Initial media reports falsely painted an even grimmer picture of the NAS recommendations. Associated Press, the
Sacramento Bee and a slew of other newspapers, incorrectly extrapolated the NAS dose and came up with a
tentative EPA equivalent amount of 23 ppb of perchlorate for drinking water.
At a Jan. 11 press conference, the NAS panel tried to correct the media's misinterpretation of the science. "We
stopped at a dosage of what we felt would be a safe limit to the amount, whatever the source of perchlorate, that
an individual might take in," said one panel member. "This is .0007 milligram per kilogram adjusted for body
weight so if it's a 3 kilogram baby, you adjust [the amount of perchlorate] down. If it's an 80 kilogram adult, you
adjust it up. It's based on a per-kilogram [measurement]. We did not make the extension into a [ppb] water level.
Water level is a matter of policy."
The NRDC isn't so sure that the NAS wasn't trying to set policy favorable to the Bush administration and
perchlorate-producing and -using industries. The group subpoenaed communications between the Defense
Department, the White House and a slew of perchlorate polluters including Kerr-McGee Chemical and Lockheed
Martin. The Freedom of Information Act request yielded 30 boxes of heavily redacted emails that described such
matters as who should be on the NAS panel and what they should concentrate on.
Naturally, the industry loved the NAS recommendation. "What's required now is careful review of the report to fully
understand it and determine how the information can benefit the standard-setting process. ... That's the only way
to ensure public health is protected and to ensure public resources aren't unnecessarily diverted from pressing
environmental and health needs," the Council on Water Quality said in a statement lauding the report. Companies
including Lockheed Martin and Kerr-McGee Chemical support the group.
But some environmentalists don't believe that the polluters are too thrilled - the industry has argued that
perchlorate levels of 200 ppb to 350 ppb aren't harmful. "I think that they're pretty worried," said Renee Sharp, a
senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group that praised the report. "Even if you take the study at face
value, you still come up with a number that is in the lower parts per billion."
And Sharp may be right. In the case of a contaminant like perchlorate, where infants are at greatest threat and
health consequences can occur from short-term exposure, the EPA has typically used infant weight and ingestion
figures when setting a drinking water standard. And according to the agency, establishing a drinking water
standard "typically involves the use of a relative source contribution factor to account for non-water sources of
exposures."
The California EPA has determined that perchlorate exposure comes 60 percent from water and 40 percent from
food. Figuring that into the weight-based equation, Sharp postulates that the final EPA nationwide standard could
be as low as 2.5 ppb. That would be considerably stricter than the current 6 ppb California public health goal.
A very low perchlorate drinking water standard may be prudent. The Weekly has learned that an upcoming Texas
Tech University study will show that perchlorate has been found in breast milk in 11 states, unrelated to drinking
water, with some readings as high as 90 ppb! This alarming new information should grab the attention of the EPA
when it makes its final determination for this toxic chemical that threatens the very minds and physical well-being
of America's youth.
Michael Collins is an award-winning investigative reporter who has written extensively about Southern California
groundwater contamination. Collins, who is a director of the Greater Los Angeles Press Club,
www.lapressclub.org, can be reached at mcreporter2005@yahoo.com.
Deputy Editor Joe Piasecki contributed to this report. Contact him at joep@pasadenaweekly.com.
National Academy of Sciences report reignites debate on danger of perchlorate
By Michael Collins
(Pasadena Weekly - January 20, 2005)
The Jan. 10 release of the National Academy of Sciences report on the hazards of perchlorate recommends
national drinking water standards be radically more lax than those that the Environmental Protection Agency
currently strives for, reigniting the debate over the toxic rocket fuel oxidizer that has permeated the water of 16
million Californians and threatened drinking supplies in 35 states.
What hangs in the balance is the health of millions of kids and billions of dollars in cleanup costs that the
polluters, including the Departments of Defense and Energy, don't want to spend on perchlorate-polluted sites
across the nation. Adding to the mix, the Weekly has learned that an upcoming study will show that perchlorate
has been detected in breast milk that is not resultant from consuming water contaminated with the chemical,
suggesting that the toxin has permeated the food chain to an extent previously unknown.
More than 330 drinking water sources in California have registered concentrations of perchlorate at or above the
state's provisional action-reporting level of 6 parts per billion (ppb).
Wells registering in at 18 ppb or above are taken out of service for human consumption. Los Angeles County has
138 wells tainted by the toxin. Pasadena has shut down 10 of its 16 drinking water wells due to perchlorate
contamination emanating from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The 176-acre lab is in the midst of a $114
EPA-mandated Superfund cleanup being carried out by the space agency.
Following stricter guidelines than those set by the state, Pasadena shuts down wells when perchlorate levels
measure above 6 ppb, which is the state's current public health goal for consumption and the number on which
action-reporting levels are based, said Pasadena Water and Power General Manager Phyllis Currie. If a well
reaches the 6 ppb mark, state law would require Pasadena to notify residents of perchlorate levels in their
drinking water. Because Pasadena instead stops serving water at that level of contamination, Currie said the
National Academy of Sciences report will have no immediate effect on the city. However, "We would like to see
some clarity brought to this issue," she said of scientific debate over perchlorate dangers.
In August Pasadena shut down two water wells, one of them located near Villa Parke and another near the
intersection of North Allen Avenue and Monte Vista Street, when perchlorate levels jumped to as high as 9.8 ppb,
said Shan Kwan, director of Pasadena Water and Power's Water Division. In response to those closures and
fearing nearby East Pasadena wells could soon become contaminated, Pasadena City Council members moved in
December to start drawing up treatment plans for polluted wells near Villa Parke. Threatened wells are located
within as little as a mile or two from the now-shuttered Monte Vista Street well, said Kwan, and some of them are
already showing perchlorate readings of 1 to 2 ppb.
There's good reason to be fearful of perchlorate contamination. The chemical interferes with how the thyroid
functions and is especially dangerous to fetuses, babies and children. It causes thyroid iodine deficiency that in
turn limits the gland's ability to produce a hormone essential to neurological development. "On average, children
of iodine-deficient mothers have 5 to 13 fewer IQ points compared to children of mothers with iodine-sufficient
diets," according to a report issued last week by the Environment California Research and Policy Center.
"Reduced thyroid levels in the first few weeks of life for pre-term and low birth-weight babies are associated with
increased risk of neurological disorders, including the need for special education by age nine."
The NAS study recommends that the federal government allow 23 times the amount of perchlorate be allowed in
drinking water than the federal EPA does. The 15-member panel concluded that humans could safely consume
water with as high as .0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, versus the .00003 milligrams per kilogram that
the EPA currently uses. This so called "reference dose" determined by the NAS is part of a process that will lead
to a nationwide EPA "maximum contaminant level" (MCL).
Naturally, the study has some environmental leaders infuriated. "Sen. [Barbara] Boxer is not at all pleased with the
results of this NAS study," said David Sandretti, a spokesman for the senator. "She feels that they did not use
sound science; that they relied too heavily on the five human tests that they did. In terms of legislation coming
down in the next Congress, Sen. Boxer will be reintroducing a 'Right to Know' bill for the community so they know
what is in their drinking water and that this particular contaminant is present. She's also going to be introducing
legislation to force the EPA to set a date certain for an MCL standard."
"Using seven human subjects [in one test] is statistically unstable," said Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist for
the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental group that strongly criticized the report. "And
the NAS did more than just hang its hat on that. They labeled alterations in thyroid levels as not adverse. I use
thyroid hormone levels to guide my decisions on whether to treat a patient with medication. When you put all
[these] things together, it undermines the results and their recommendations."
Initial media reports falsely painted an even grimmer picture of the NAS recommendations. Associated Press, the
Sacramento Bee and a slew of other newspapers, incorrectly extrapolated the NAS dose and came up with a
tentative EPA equivalent amount of 23 ppb of perchlorate for drinking water.
At a Jan. 11 press conference, the NAS panel tried to correct the media's misinterpretation of the science. "We
stopped at a dosage of what we felt would be a safe limit to the amount, whatever the source of perchlorate, that
an individual might take in," said one panel member. "This is .0007 milligram per kilogram adjusted for body
weight so if it's a 3 kilogram baby, you adjust [the amount of perchlorate] down. If it's an 80 kilogram adult, you
adjust it up. It's based on a per-kilogram [measurement]. We did not make the extension into a [ppb] water level.
Water level is a matter of policy."
The NRDC isn't so sure that the NAS wasn't trying to set policy favorable to the Bush administration and
perchlorate-producing and -using industries. The group subpoenaed communications between the Defense
Department, the White House and a slew of perchlorate polluters including Kerr-McGee Chemical and Lockheed
Martin. The Freedom of Information Act request yielded 30 boxes of heavily redacted emails that described such
matters as who should be on the NAS panel and what they should concentrate on.
Naturally, the industry loved the NAS recommendation. "What's required now is careful review of the report to fully
understand it and determine how the information can benefit the standard-setting process. ... That's the only way
to ensure public health is protected and to ensure public resources aren't unnecessarily diverted from pressing
environmental and health needs," the Council on Water Quality said in a statement lauding the report. Companies
including Lockheed Martin and Kerr-McGee Chemical support the group.
But some environmentalists don't believe that the polluters are too thrilled - the industry has argued that
perchlorate levels of 200 ppb to 350 ppb aren't harmful. "I think that they're pretty worried," said Renee Sharp, a
senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group that praised the report. "Even if you take the study at face
value, you still come up with a number that is in the lower parts per billion."
And Sharp may be right. In the case of a contaminant like perchlorate, where infants are at greatest threat and
health consequences can occur from short-term exposure, the EPA has typically used infant weight and ingestion
figures when setting a drinking water standard. And according to the agency, establishing a drinking water
standard "typically involves the use of a relative source contribution factor to account for non-water sources of
exposures."
The California EPA has determined that perchlorate exposure comes 60 percent from water and 40 percent from
food. Figuring that into the weight-based equation, Sharp postulates that the final EPA nationwide standard could
be as low as 2.5 ppb. That would be considerably stricter than the current 6 ppb California public health goal.
A very low perchlorate drinking water standard may be prudent. The Weekly has learned that an upcoming Texas
Tech University study will show that perchlorate has been found in breast milk in 11 states, unrelated to drinking
water, with some readings as high as 90 ppb! This alarming new information should grab the attention of the EPA
when it makes its final determination for this toxic chemical that threatens the very minds and physical well-being
of America's youth.
Michael Collins is an award-winning investigative reporter who has written extensively about Southern California
groundwater contamination. Collins, who is a director of the Greater Los Angeles Press Club,
www.lapressclub.org, can be reached at mcreporter2005@yahoo.com.
Deputy Editor Joe Piasecki contributed to this report. Contact him at joep@pasadenaweekly.com.