Green Options » perchlorate

Food Policy Friday: FDA to Conform to EPA Standards for E.Coli in Bottled Water

Gina Munsey — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Drinking water poses a threat due to possible perchlorate contamination and BPA leaching from plastic, but it seems reasonable to assume that in the United States, bottled water is free from fecal matter. Yet until now, there were no requirements to test source water — 70% of which comes from the the same place as tap water.

Beginning December 1st, “bottled water containing E. coli will be considered adulterated,” says the US Food and Drug Administration. You don’t say? It doesn’t seem as though we’d need a press release to tell us that, but this is the FDA we’re talking about.

Dear President Obama, Hold the EPA & FDA Accountable: Get Toxic Chemicals out of Infant Formula

Jamie Ervin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:37:20 +0000

As if we don’t have enough to worry about with BPA in infant formula, now the Environmental Working Group warns us that perchlorate (a rocket fuel ingredient than can interfere with infant brain development) is showing up in infant formula.

Mix that formula with tainted water (found in 28 states) and baby gets a double dose of perchlorate which is known to interfere with the thyroid hormones essential for brain development. Perchlorate poses particular risks to the developing fetus, infants and young children.

EPA Will Not Regulate Rocket Fuel Toxins In Drinking Water

Reenita Malhotra — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:38:51 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided against the national regulation of perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel that contaminates drinking water at sites in at least 35 states. The EPA has decided that since this is a state specific situation, it should be addressed at the state level.

Perchlorate interferes with the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb iodine inhibiting thyroid hormones that are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of infants. The chemical has been found not only in drinking water but also in lettuce and milk. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration reported finding perchlorate in 217 of 232 samples of milk and lettuce in 15 states.