Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Rocket fuel in California milk, is this a new drink?
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A study says children and pregnant women who drink milk from some California cows could be at risk from a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel.
The Environmental Working Group's research says they may be exposed to unsafe levels of perchlorate, which has been linked to thyroid damage. For fetuses, infants and children, disruptions in thyroid hormone levels can cause lowered IQ, mental retardation, loss of hearing and speech, and motor skill deficits.
The group found the rocket fuel chemical in almost every sample tested -- 31 out of 32 samples purchased from grocery stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The average level of perchlorate in the samples was 1.3 parts per billion -- just above the Environmental Protection Agency's currently recommended safe dose of 1 parts per billion.
The study comes as state and federal regulators prepare new standards to regulate the chemical. Perchlorate has been found in the Colorado River, which is a major drinking water source for Southern California and Arizona. The perchlorate ingested by cows in their water and feed is passed along in milk. Researchers are divided about its effects and what exposure levels are safe.
"Our findings are not a call for California mothers to stop drinking milk or stop giving it to their children," said Bill Walker, of the Environmental Working Group. "They do show that the state must set a drinking water standard that fully protects public health."
Michael Marsh, of the Western United Dairymen, which represents California's dairy industry, says the state's milk is safe.
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