Environmental Working Group (EWG): Gov¹t Study Shows Millions of Two-Year Olds Exposed To Dangerous Levels of Rocket Fuel Through Food and Water
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2008
1:44 PM
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CONTACT: Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Public Affairs, (202) 667-6982
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Gov't Study Shows Millions of Two-Year Olds Exposed To Dangerous Levels of Rocket Fuel Through Food and Water
EPA Must Set a Safety Standard for Perchlorate in Tap Water to Protect
Children [note we're asking EPA to set a drinking water standard, not change
their safe dose]
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WASHINGTON - January 22 - A recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
found that three quarters of 285 commonly consumed foods and beverages are
contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket fuel ingredient. According to
the study, every day, the average two-year-old is exposed to more than half
of the EPA 'safe' dose (RfD) of perchlorate from food alone. This is bad
news for children in communities in 28 states who also are exposed to
perchlorate through contaminated tap water. Very low levels of perchlorate
in tap water will cause the average two year old to exceed EPA's safe
exposure level.
Two-year-olds are particularly vulnerable because they eat and drink
substantial amounts of food and water relative to their small size. An
Environmental Working Group analysis of FDA data found that perchlorate
levels as low as 4 parts per billion (ppb) in tap water could expose the
average two-year-old to an unsafe dose of the rocket fuel contaminant every
single day.
FDA's finding of high food exposures for small children makes clean up of
perchlorate-contaminated water imperative. Perchlorate in tap water can be
controlled through filtration and clean up. Perchlorate in food is harder
to manage because the source of contamination is not clear, although
contaminated irrigation water is one known source where levels could be
reduced.
'Every final or proposed water standard for perchlorate fails to provide
adequate protection for children,' said Dr. Anila Jacob, MD, a senior
scientist at EWG. 'An average two-year-old drinking water with 4 ppb
perchlorate will exceed the EPA's safe dose. New Jersey has set a standard
at 5 ppb, California is at 6 ppb, and the EPA has issued a clean up standard
of 24 ppb, nowhere near a level protective of children.'
Not only do children have higher exposures to perchlorate when compared with
adults, they are also particularly susceptible to its adverse effects.
Perchlorate acts by inhibiting the thyroid gland from taking up iodine from
the circulation. Since iodine is the building block for thyroid hormone,
perchlorate exposure can result in decreased thyroid hormone production by
the thyroid gland. Adequate circulating levels of thyroid hormones are
critical to maintaining normal growth and brain development during
childhood.
'Pervasive perchlorate contamination of food underscores the need for a
tough national drinking water standard to protect children. We need to take
every action we can to minimize perchlorate exposures, and tough tap water
standards are the logical first step. If we fail to act, we will needlessly
expose millions of children to dangerous levels of this potent toxic
compound,' said Dr. Anila Jacob, MD a Senior Scientist with EWG.
A recent report from the US Government Accountability Office finds that 28
states have communities in which perchlorate contaminates drinking water
supplies at levels of 4 ppb or higher.
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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses
the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The
group's analysis of the FDA study is available online at
http://www.ewg.org/node/25875
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