PENTAGON MISSES REPORT DATE STUDY ON PERCHLORATE CONTAMINATION WAS DUE FRIDAY.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The Pentagon blew a congressionally mandated deadline Friday for revealing the full extent of rocket fuel pollution in the nation's water supplies. The 2001 study is believed to include an examination of perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. contamination at all the Defense Department's 5,000 active and closed military installations. So far, the agency has only revealed scattered portions of the report, showing results for just 305 bases. ``It's not good news that they haven't revealed the results,'' said Dr. Gina Solomon, senior scientist for the National Resources Defense Council. Noting that 40 states including California already have found perchlorate contamination in their drinking-water supplies, Solomon said, ``We will probably be adding to the list'' once the public obtains the full report. ``The Department of Defense has been dragging their feet because they're really afraid of how much this is going to cost. Also, it looks bad for them to have it come out showing they have so thoroughly contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. so many sites,'' added Renee Sharp, senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group in Oakland. Perchlorate is a naturally occurring and man-made chemical that is the main ingredient in solid rocket fuel. It has been linked to thyroid damage and various forms of cancer. Aerospace-rich Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, has been a hotbed hotbed, low, glass-covered frame structure for starting tender plants. It differs from a cold frame only in that the soil is heated—either artificially as by underground electric wiring or steampipes, or naturally with partially fermented stable manure, which of perchlorate contamination. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. statistics compiled by the Environmental Working Group, more than 80 percent of the state's 351 polluted water- supply systems are in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. and Riverside counties. Of particular concern is the Colorado River, a major source of drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. for Southern California. An estimated 400 pounds of the rocket fuel component enters the river daily from a defunct war-munitions complex near Las Vegas. Pentagon spokesman Glenn Flood said the delay is strictly procedural and officials expect to release the report in early May. ``We're not dragging our feet.'' Noting that the White House budget office is still reviewing the report, Flood said, ``It's a process we have to go through.'' Lawmakers have long sought the comprehensive report, and last year Congress approved a measure pushed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., directing the Pentagon to release the study results by April 30, 2004. In a letter Friday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Feinstein wrote that she is ``deeply disappointed'' by the delay. ``Additionally I am troubled by the fact that the Department has consistently avoided providing information to Congress about perchlorate contamination on Defense Department sites, and describing what, if anything, has been done to remediate the contamination.'' Sharp said when the results are finally unveiled she hardly expects to find the Department of Defense has tested all their sites for perchlorate. But, she said, the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and and the public will be able to discover where else in the country perchlorate has been used. ``Those are the places we're likely to find contamination, and those are the places we need to test first,'' she said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. is working on a first-ever U.S. national standard in drinking water for perchlorate. The agency is not expected to issue a final standard until 2006. Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com AT A GLANCE Known contaminated drinking water sources in California: Los Angeles County - 134 Orange County - 33 Riverside County - 67 Sacramento County - 14 San Bernardino County - 82 Santa Clara County - 9 Tulare County - 8 Ventura County - 2 San Diego County - 1 Sonoma County - 1 Source: Environmental Working Group CAPTION(S): box Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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