According to sources the EPA is planning to rule that it will not set a drinking-water safety standard for perchlorate. Perchlorate is a highly toxic substance; a component of rocket fuel that has been linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children across the United States.
The EPA’s “preliminary regulatory determination” marks the final step in a six-year-old battle between EPA scientists who want to regulate the chemical and other governmental officials who oppose it. The EPA estimates that up to 16.6 million Americans are exposed to perchlorate at a level many scientists consider unsafe.
Perchlorate can occur naturally, but the vast majority of perchlorate contamination in U.S. drinking water results from negligent disposal by rocket test sites, military bases and chemical plants. A nationwide cleanup could cost billions of dollars, and several defense contractors have threatened to sue the Defense Department to help pay for it if one is required.
According to experts scientific studies have shown that a small reduction in thyroid function in infants can translate into a loss of IQ and an increase in behavioral and perception problems. It is absolutely irreversible, and even small changes in thyroid functions early on have impacts on functioning through high school.
Legal Analysis: We are creating a national toxic dump and the government is complicit in this coverup. And folks wonder why cancer rates are still climbing?