Now fear water
My current impression is that they're trying to eliminate the EPA by making it impossible for anyone who gives a crap to work there.
The latest scary water stuff:
The discovery of rocket fuel pollution in groundwater nationwide has raised new questions about federal safety standards.
Manufacturers use perchlorate -- a fast moving, long-lasting chemical fuel for rockets, missiles, fireworks and road flares -- in 39 states.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 25 states have detected it (PDF) in their groundwater.
...
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, set off a furor earlier this year with a study that found significant perchlorate contamination of winter lettuce grown in California.
The state Department of Health Services disputed this, stating on its website (PDF) that the findings were not "credible and reliable" and that "it is premature to draw any conclusions."
Both the California Department of Health Services and the federal EPA confirm that perchlorate has severe health effects, disrupting the thyroid gland and potentially causing tumors, affecting metabolism and fetal development, and causing behavioral changes and mental retardation in children.
...
The EPA has been studying perchlorate as a potential hazard since 1997, and has required all large public water systems to monitor for the chemical.
In 2002, the agency proposed a strict standard of one part perchlorate per billion parts of water -- compared to California's proposed standard of between two and six parts per billion, and the Pentagon's hopes for a permissable level of as much as 200 parts per billion.
* Ray, 10/13/2003 05:52:42 PM
