Up to 16.6 million people in the United States may be drinking water laced with a chemical found in rocket propellants and fireworks. It's called perchlorate, and although the Bush administration decided against regulating it, the Obama administration's EPA has reversed course and announced plans to set a limit for the amount of perchlorate drinking water can contain.
Research by the Food and Drug Administration, among others, found perchlorate contamination in food and water in 45 states, and a small study in the Boston area found perchlorate in the breast milk of nursing mothers. [Los Angeles Times]
While the chemical is found nationwide, it's particularly a problem in California, near the state's old manufacturing sites and military bases. Before companies wised up, it used to be common practice to dump perchlorate into unlined pits which--surprise!--leads to the chemical seeping into groundwater. This water eventually finds its way into many places, ...
