U.S. Food and Water Supply Poisoned by Perchlorate

[Guest guest]

U.S. Food and Water Supply Poisoned by Perchlorate

Thursday, September 04, 2008 by: Joanne Waldron

http://www.naturalnews.com/024071.html

(NaturalNews) According to a report by the Organic Consumers Association, a

toxic chemical that is a byproduct of rocket fuel is rapidly poisoning the

food and water supply in the United States. Known as perchlorate, this

chemical has been found in 93% of the nation's milk and lettuce supply in a

recent FDA study. It has also been found in the drinking water for at least

22 states at extremely alarming levels. Perhaps the scariest statistic is

that perchlorate has been found in the breast milk of 97% of the mothers who

were tested.

What are Americans supposed to eat?

Unfortunately, lettuce and milk weren't the only foods that were found to be

contaminated. Perchlorate was found in tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers,

spinach, citrus, melons and more. Sadly, even organic vegetables were

affected, because most crops are irrigated from polluted water sources. In a

Wired.com article by Amit Asaravala, Bill , the vice president of the

Environmental Working Group's West Coast operations, was quoted as saying,

" The study confirms what we and some other people have been saying for a

while -- that perchlorate is not only a problem in areas with known water

contamination but for anyone who eats food grown in the U.S. "

A report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) warns that ingesting

lettuce or any other vegetable that is grown anywhere irrigated by the

Colorado River would result in an exposure to an unsafe level of perchlorate

per standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Farms

that use this water for irrigation are responsible for growing almost all of

the lettuce sold in the United States during the winter months. The EWG also

reports that if a pregnant woman were to eat an ordinary serving of

vegetables with the contamination levels that were found at Lucky Farms, a

San Bernardino grower of lettuce and other vegetables, she would get a dose

of rocket fuel over 100 times greater than what the EPA would consider

" safe " for a liter of drinking water. Wow! Health-conscious consumers who

eat a plant-based diet consisting of lots of dark, leafy greens, fruits and

vegetables could actually be harming their health by consuming toxic levels

of perchlorate.

Health Implications

According to a website by Power, MS, PhD, LDN, perchlorate is a toxin

that interferes with thyroid function by supplanting iodine in the body,

causing harm to iodine transporters. This can be responsible for numerous

health problems, notes Dr. Power, including " hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer,

goiter, breast disease, disruption of the menstrual cycle, immune system

dysfunction, poor fetal development, and mental retardation of newborns. " A

book by J. Shomon, Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor

Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know (Revised Edition), reports that in

areas with the greatest amount of perchlorate contamination, rates of

congenital hypothyroidism are much higher than normal which means that

pregnant mothers need to be particularly concerned about this.

To illustrate the severity of the problem, a CDC study demonstrated that in

the 36% of women in the U.S. with low iodine intake, just about any exposure

to perchlorate at all was associated with a substantial change in levels of

thyroid hormone. That's over one in three women. Moreover, the Organic

Consumers Association reports that for every one out of ten of these women,

if they were exposed to as little as 5 ppb of perchlorate in drinking water,

the subsequent hormone disruption would require treatment during pregnancy

for sub-clinical hypothyroidism.

Fatigued, Depressed, and Overweight?

If a woman is overly fatigued, depressed or overweight, she may be suffering

from hypothyroidism caused by perchlorate contamination. According to Dr.

Power, there are many other symptoms of hypothyroidism such as brittle

nails, poor memory, constipation, menstrual irregularities, high

cholesterol, poor concentration, irritability, dry skin, dry hair, hair loss

and more. Imagine how frustrating it might be for a woman who is drinking

lots of water and eating lots of healthy salads but isn't making any

progress losing weight due to thyroid disease caused by perchlorate

ingestion. Clearly, anyone who has the above symptoms should consult a

qualified health care provider immediately.

Check the Water Supply

One thing everyone can do is to check their water supplies. A map provided

by the EPA shows the location of all of the perchlorate releases as of April

2003. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also provides a table of where

top soil or ground water is contaminated by perchlorate and a table that

shows sites of known perchlorate use in 36 states. As previously noted, many

who live near the Colorado River are affected (about 20 million people).

Install a Water Filter

Those who live in areas that have been contaminated should definitely

install a water filter capable of removing perchlorate, probably some type

of reverse osmosis filter. These filters won't remove all of the

perchlorate, but it is best to reduce the amount of perchlorate to the

extent possible. Reverse osmosis filters won't remove things like radon from

the water and are probably best combined with a carbon filter. Needless to

say, those with children attending schools that use water contaminated with

perchlorate should take action to demand that the schools install proper

filters, too, as drinking perchlorate-contaminated water could cause

developmental delays in children, according to Dr. Power.

Get Sufficient Iodine

Unfortunately, there is no way to remove perchlorate from contaminated

vegetables, and buying organic produce doesn't help when it comes to

perchlorate. One can try to purchase vegetables that aren't grown in areas

that use contaminated water to irrigate crops, but this probably won't be

possible for the majority of people. Obviously, people can't stop eating.

However, it is absolutely essential to ensure that one's diet has a

sufficient amount of iodine to attempt to compensate for any perchlorate

ingestion. Some people may wish to supplement with kelp or eat more sea

vegetables, but it is best to discuss the proper dosage of any supplements

with a qualified healthcare provider.

Write and Complain

Finally, one more thing that can be done is to write to lawmakers and demand

that the people who are polluting the environment with perchlorate clean it

up now. A number of people in some communities in California that have water

that has been poisoned by perchlorate are being charged 15% surcharges to

clean up the mess made by polluters, reports The Gilroy Dispatch. This is so

wrong. According to Senator Feinstein from California, " Nearly all

perchlorate has been produced by the Department of Defense and its

contractors and in the country's space programs. " Maybe everyone should

write to NASA and The Department of Defense and complain, too.

The EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tap water for

perchlorate, according to a database maintained by the EWG. This is

outrageous -- there are millions of people in the United States drinking

water that has been contaminated with this toxin. Since perchlorate is

currently unregulated in tap water, there are no violations recorded in the

EPA's violations database, ironically labeled the " Safe Drinking Water

Information System. " Meanwhile, under the current federal tap water law, any

level of perchlorate is legal! That's right. Water suppliers are not even

required to test for perchlorate. Given the health implications of

perchlorate ingestion, the stupidity of this kind of lack of regulation is

just incredible. Write to the EPA, and let them know that this lack of

regulation is just insanity.

A Wake-up Call

When people have to be concerned with drinking a glass of water or eating a

salad, there is a problem. The FDA reports that the inhibition of iodine

uptake by perchlorate is a " precursor that can lead to hypothyroidism, " and

pregnant women and their fetuses are " the most sensitive populations to the

health effects of perchlorate. " How bad will the situation have to get

before environmental regulators will no longer be able to ignore the mass

poisoning of the nation's food and water supply?

Contact Information

Contact The Environmental Protection Agency:

Mailing address:

Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (4601)

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20460-0003

Phone and Fax:

Phone: 202-564-3750

Fax: 202-564-3753 (Director's office)

Fax: 202-564-3751 (Drinking Water Protection Division)

Fax: 202-564-3752 (Standards and Risk Management Division)

or e-mail the Director, Dougherty @ Dougherty.@...

Contact the FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, land 20857

or by telephone:

1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) -- main FDA Phone Number (for general

inquiries)

Contact local, state and federal officials - just enter zip code:

(http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/)

Contact the Department of Defense:

(http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html)

or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

Contact NASA:

((http://www.nasa.gov/about/contact/ask_n...)

Public Communications Office

NASA Headquarters

Suite 5K39

Washington, DC 20546-0001

(202) 358-0001 (Office)

(202) 358-3469 (Fax)

About the author

Joanne Waldron is a computer scientist with a passion for writing and

sharing health-related news and information with others. She runs the Naked

Wellness: The Gentle Health Revolution forum, which is devoted to achieving

radiant health, well-being, and longevity.