Report: EPA to deny perchlorate standards

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will deny calls to set drinking water safety standards for the chemical perchlorate, documents show.

The federal agency says there's no need to legally regulate the chemical, a component of rocket fuel found in soil and groundwater that affects thyroid development in newborns and young children, a draft of the decision, obtained by The Washington Post, recommends.

Environmentalists and child safety advocates have been battling for six years to force the EPA to set drinking water standards for perchlorate, saying 20 million to 40 million people are exposed to the chemical at levels that some scientists consider unsafe. However, the U.S. Defense Department and White House officials oppose setting perchlorate standards saying cleanup costs would be prohibitive, the Post said.

The newspaper said the EPA's draft document denying the regulation was heavily edited by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, removing references to studies showing how exposure to perchlorate can affect IQ and behavioral problems in children.

"They have distorted the science to such an extent that they can justify not regulating" the chemical, Robert Zoeller, a University of Massachusetts professor who specializes in thyroid hormone and brain development, told the Post.