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U.S. to set toxic limits on drinking water

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it plans to issue stricter regulations on toxic substances in the country's drinking water supplies.

The EPA says the new restriction will also include the first-ever limits on perchlorate, a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel that has leached into groundwater in at least 400 locations, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

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Studies have indicated that hundreds of industrial and agricultural chemicals, including several known carcinogens, have been detected in municipal water systems around the country, the newspaper said.

Measurable amounts of perchlorate in 26 states and two U.S. territories could possibly contaminate the drinking water of million of Americans, the EPA said.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said the agency would set standards for as many as 16 chemicals known to have toxic effects on human health and development.

"EPA is hard at work on innovative ways to improve protections for the water we drink and give to our children, and the development these improved standards is an important step forward," she said in a statement. "Our decisions are based on extensive review of the best available science and the health needs of the American people."

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