U.S. EPA Advisers Raise Concerns About Perchlorate Cleanup Goal

摘要

Small children are not sufficiently protected from exposures to perchlorate under the preliminary remediation goal set in late January by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Superfund sites, according to the agency's Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC). The new cleanup target of 24.5 ppb "is not supported by the underlying science and can result in exposures that pose neurodevelopmental risks in early life," wrote Melanie Marty of California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, who chairs the CHPAC panel, in a March 8 letter to the EPA administrator. Perchlorate is the primary ingredient used in the manufacture of solid propellant for rockets, missiles, and fireworks. It also is a high-priority substance on EPA's list of unregulated contaminants of concern, known as the Contaminant Candidate List. Wastes from the manufacture and improper disposal of perchlorate-containing chemicals are increasingly being discovered in soils, groundwa-ter, and surface waters, according to EPA. To date, the agency has confirmed perchlorate releases in more than 25 states nationwide.