[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 33 (Monday, March 3, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 502. A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to designate 
perchlorate as a contaminant and to establish a maximum contaminant 
level for perchlorate; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
protect drinking water from contamination by the toxic chemical 
perchlorate. My bill will require the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) to establish a standard for perchlorate contamination in 
drinking water supplies by July 1, 2004. Under EPA's current schedule, 
2006 is the earliest date a standard would be finalized.
  Perchlorate is a clear and present danger to California's public 
health. We cannot wait 4 more years to address this threat. EPA needs 
to get moving and protect our drinking water sooner rather than later.
  Drinking water sources for at least 7 million Californians and 
millions of other Americans are contaminated with perchlorate. 
Perchlorate is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which accounts for 
90 percent of its use. Perchlorate is also used for ammunition, 
fireworks, highway safety flares, air bags, and fertilizers. It 
dissolves readily in many liquids, including water, and moves easily 
and quickly through cracks and water.
  Perchlorate was first discovered in drinking water in 1957, although 
it was rarely listed as a contaminant of concern as late as the mid-
1900s. Since 1997, when California's Department of Health Services 
developed a new, more sensitive analytical testing method that can 
detect perchlorate down to 4 parts per billion, perchlorate has been 
found in soil, groundwater, and surface water throughout the U.S.
  Perchlorate poses a variety of serious health risks relating to 
thyroid function, especially in newborns, children, and pregnant women. 
Exposure to perchlorate interferes with the thyroid gland's ability to 
produce the hormones needed for normal prenatal development. This can 
cause both physical and mental retardation. Perchlorate is also linked 
to thyroid cancer.
  Californians face special threats from perchlorate contamination 
because so many rockets and missiles were built and tested in the state 
during World War II and the cold war. Groundwater can become 
contaminated wherever the chemical is manufactured, used, disposed of, 
or stored.
  Alarming levels of perchlorate have been discovered in Lake Mead and 
the Colorado River, the drinking water source for millions of Southern 
Californians. Communities in the Inland Empire, San Gabriel Valley, 
Santa Clara Valley, and the Sacramento area are also grappling with 
perchlorate contamination. In addition, more than 20 million Americans 
in at least 19 states drink water contaminated with perchlorate.
  My bill will ensure that EPA acts swiftly to address this threat to 
our health and welfare. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
pass this important piece of legislation.
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