By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    recover from an acl injury
    Best Exercises to Rehab a Torn ACL Without Special Equipment
    November 29, 2022
    medical practice and technology advancement
    6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
    January 25, 2023
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Heart Attacks & Hospitalization in CA
    June 16, 2011
    1309953786_9781780660004-web_w185_h300
    Possibly the Best #Health Advice You Could Get!
    March 2, 2012
    Is a Government Takeover of Health Care Underway?
    August 1, 2011
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Feds to Regulate Rocket Fuel Levels in Tap Water
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Feds to Regulate Rocket Fuel Levels in Tap Water
Public Health

Feds to Regulate Rocket Fuel Levels in Tap Water

GlennLaffel
GlennLaffel
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

After nearly a decade of inaction, the US government is finally going to set safety standards for perchlorate in the nation’s water supply.

Perchlorate is a rocket fuel additive that causes thyroid abnormalities in newborns and children. Even tiny amounts of perchlorate can impair thyroid hormone production, especially in utero and in newborns. The resulting metabolic abnormalities can lead to irreversible loss of IQ and increased perceptual and behavioral problems.

Nearly all the perchlorate found in drinking water is the result of lax disposal methods at chemical plants, rocket test sites and military installations. Government estimates say that 16 million Americans are exposed to unsafe levels of the chemical. Independent scientists using state and federal data suggest the number is twice that.

More Read

Life Insurance for Those That Don’t Have It
King v. Burwell: A Frivolous Lawsuit
Dreaming of Healthcare Collaboration
Working Together to Improve Health Outcomes While Saving Money
ALS Community and Innovation in Medicine

White House and Pentagon officials, primarily in the Bush administration, had pressured the Environmental Protection Agency for years to refrain from establishing safe, allowable levels of the chemical in tap water, presumably because the cost of a national cleanup would cost several hundred million dollars.

But under new management (the Obama Administration), the EPA has announced it will establish standards for the toxic compound sometime during the next 2 years.

“As improved standards are developed and put in place, clean water technology innovators have an opportunity to create cutting edge solutions that will strengthen health protections and spark economic growth,” EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said in a press release.

As far back as 2002, an EPA risk assessment determined that safe levels of perchlorate in drinking water should be set at 1 part per billion. After 6 years of complete non-action on the matter, the Bush administration decided not to regulate the chemical. Instead, it established an “advisory guideline” that perchlorate concentrations should not exceed 15 parts per billion.

The delays and eventual inaction by the Bush administration were driven by the Defense Department. A GAO report published last year revealed levels in excess of the advised limit of 15 parts per billion at 53 Defense Department installations.

“Most of their sites were contaminated with perchlorate—there’s been a lot of interference by DOD in terms of stopping EPA from doing anything,” Mae Wu, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council said in an interview. “They want the limit to be as high as possible so they won’t have to clean up.”

Extra Credit: At the time of the perchlorate announcement, the EPA also said it planned to establish new limits for 16 other chemicals in drinking water. Included on the list is chromium 6, or hexavalent chromium. Movie buffs will recall, that’s the compound made famous by the 2000 Oscar-winning movie, Erin Brockovich, in which title character eventually forced Pacific Gas & Electric to compensate the residents of a town that had been contaminated with the substance.

TAGGED:public healthwater
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Massachusetts Wins the Prize for Most Expensive Healthcare

January 22, 2014

Why are Girls Being Abandoned and Battered ?

August 20, 2012

More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs

January 25, 2012

Innovations and Cooperation for World Water Week

September 3, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?