Perchlorate, an ingredient used in rocket fuels and munitions, is increasingly being found in a growing number of food and water supplies in the U.S., particularly in California where it was widely used by the Department of Defense in the 1950s and 1960s.
Last week, Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 213 that would require the U.S. EPA within two years to introduce a water standard for perchlorate.
On the Senate side, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) last month pledged to also introduce legislation that would authorize $200 million to identify and clean up sources of perchlorate, establish a drinking water supply standard and establish an interagency task force to coordinate water supply protection and clean-up.
Last month, a preliminary survey by the Food and Drug Administration found the presence of perchlorate in lettuce, bottled water and milk in states across the country.
Source: WEF