GAO Faults Military Policy on Contaminants (no clean up of water pollutent

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-perchlorate30jun30.story

GAO Faults Military Policy on Contaminants
The services have failed to clean up perchlorate, other toxic byproducts of munitions, a report alleges. The Pentagon defends its record.
By Elizabeth Shogren
Times Staff Writer

June 30, 2004

WASHINGTON — A congressional report released Tuesday found that the military is not taking steps to clean up areas where high levels of the hazardous chemical perchlorate have been found.

The report, by the General Accounting Office, criticized the military for lacking a comprehensive policy for testing and cleaning up perchlorate, a component of fuel used in munitions and rockets, and 19 other chemicals associated with munitions that present serious public health risks.

Perchlorate has infiltrated drinking water supplies in California and other states. The chemical can affect the thyroid gland's production of hormones that are critical to early childhood development.

The GAO report said the military uses 90% of the perchlorate produced in the United States. The report was released as the Pentagon was seeking exemptions from the hazardous-waste laws that gave states and the federal government leverage to force the cleanup of chemicals that present significant public health risks.

"It is irresponsible that the military has chosen not to take steps to monitor for and reduce perchlorate contamination," said Rep. Hilda L. Solis of El Monte, the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee on environment and hazardous materials. "The Defense Department must be a good steward where public health is at risk."<snip>

Under heavy Pentagon influence, the EPA delayed releasing a federal drinking water standard for perchlorate and instead asked the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study, according to Bush science advisor John Marburger.

"There's a concerted effort to prevent progress on this issue because cleanup will cost a lot of money," said Sujatha Jahagirdar, clean-water advocate for Environment California, an activist group. "The Department of Defense should be responsible for cleaning up the pollution they've caused."