The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in early February it will be implementing a standard that regulates the amount of perchlorate that can be in drinking water. Perchlorate (a salt derived from perchloric acid) is a man-made and naturally occurring substance that is found in rocket fuel, fireworks, and other combustible products and has been linked to thyroid problems in young children and pregnant women.

Between 2001 and 2005, the EPA monitored drinking water sources in sources all over the United States and found that 153 sources in 26 different states contained perchlorate. In most positive sources, the drinking water was contaminated by improperly disposed rocket fuel and other chemicals at plants, testing sites, and even military bases. ( source )

What prompted the EPA to take closer look at perchlorate in drinking water? According to the EPA’s own web site,

“Scientific research indicates that perchlorate may disrupt the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones that are critical to developing fetuses and infants. Monitoring data show more than 4 percent of public water systems have detected perchlorate and between 5 million and 17 million people may be served drinking water containing perchlorate. The science that has led to this decision has been peer reviewed by independent scientists and public health experts including the National Academy of Sciences. Perchlorate is both a naturally-occurring and man-made chemical that is used in the manufacture of rocket fuel, fireworks, flares and explosives, and may be present in bleach and in some fertilizers. This decision reverses a 2008 preliminary determination by the previous administration, and considers input from almost 39,000 public comments.”

So… How can a person learn if their tap, city and/or municipal water supply contains unacceptable levels of perchlorates? Each year your local water department must make available Consumer Confidence Report that tells consumers what contaminants showed up during routine testing throughout the year and from source(s) it extracted its water.

Removing/Reducing perchlorate levels in drinking water?

As usual, when dealing with a particularly unpleasant drinking water contaminant, water professionals suggest the use of a quality reverse osmosis drinking water system for the job.

Watts 315 Reverse Osmosis System Meets NSF/ANSI Standard 58

Watts 415 Reverse Osmosis System Meets NSF/ANSI Standard 58

Watts 525 Reverse Osmosis System Meets NSF/ANSI Standard 58

Folks in Barstow, CA recently received news that drinking water in their area contains unsafe levels of perchlorates, an inorganic compound used in rocket fuel, fireworks, various types of explosives, flares and matches.

The news prompted restaurants to close because they had no water to cook with and residents rushed out to snatch up bottled water from any store in the area that still had any left.

What harm do perchlorates cause?

In simple terms, perchlorates interfere with the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb iodine, a necessary element for healthy thyroid activity.

Reduced production of certain hormones by the thyroid can have adverse effects on the growth and development of fetuses, infants and young children.

Adults, especially women who smoke, suffer from the effects of perchlorate exposure in the form of altered metabolic rates and metabolic processes.

Testing for perchlorates?

Most people will never have a need to test for perchlorates but for the unfortunate few who do find themselves in need of perchlorate testing, they will need to seek the assistance of a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Laboratories because no simple, at-home test kits for perchlorates exist.

National Testing Labs performs perchlorate testing, but not as part of their ‘standard testing packages for homeowners’. Individuals interested in perchlorate testing should call 800-458-3330 and ask for information on submitting a sample of water for perchlorate testing — which will run approximately $125 per sample and take between 10 and 15 days to complete.

You mentioned standard testing packages for homeowners…

Yes, we did mention those test kits — and we did it for a reason. Too many people do NOT know that they have fast, convenient and accredited water testing services at their disposal… so they keep putting off getting their water tested and in doing so they potentially, and quite unnecessarily, leave themselves vulnerable to any and all potential contaminants in their water.

National Testing Labs 27 Parameter Test Kit

National Testing Labs 83 Parameter Test Kit

National Testing Labs 97 Parameter Test Kit

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