EPA will not regulate percholate in U.S drinking water

The nation's top environmental enforcement agency has decided against regulating perchlorate, a component of solid rocket fuel that has been found in the drinking water of millions of Americans.

       The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), employing the age-old D.C. practice of releasing bad news on a Friday afternoon, announced its decision not to implement federal safety standards for the ubiquitous thyroid toxin, which has been found in the bodies of almost every American tested. It has also been found in breast milk, often at levels that may be unsafe for babies.

       "The health and well-being of millions of breast-fed babies are being ignored by EPA so the defense industry and their agents in the Pentagon can avoid cleaning up the mess they've made," said Dr. Anila Jacob, MD, MPH, Senior Scientist at EWG.

       Perchlorate interferes with the body's ability to produce thyroid hormones. Inadequate levels of thyroid hormones interfere with normal brain development and growth in babies.