July 22, 2019

EPA Wants Minimal Limits On Poison In Drinking Water

https://www.dcreport.org/2019/06/25/epa-wants-minimal-limits-on-poison-in-drinking-water/?fbclid=IwAR1g9el-Oikn3D7WGv5sOKXeV4UxOwUvKttSKHaPNeqswmqa2LhPa5xXhzo
"The Trump EPA calculated recommended limits of a dangerous chemical sometimes found in drinking water that can harm babies’ brain development that were more than 9 times higher than those imposed by a few states by fudging a key number in the calculation. The Trump EPA recommended a limit for perchlorate, which can harm infant brain development, of 56 micrograms per liter, far above the limit of 6 that California imposed and 2 that Massachusetts set, more than a decade ago. “I guess they think it’s just fine to have children have IQ loss,” said Betsy Southerland, a retired EPA official who oversaw science and technology issues in the EPA Office of Water. Perchlorate, which a GAO study found in the water, soil or sediment of 45 states, is particularly dangerous to babies because it can harm infant brain development if their mothers are exposed to it in food or water while pregnant. Babies can also ingest perchlorate in their mothers’ breast milk or in formula."