Washington, DC - Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement today in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to set a national drinking water standard for perchlorate. Perchlorate is a toxic component of rocket fuel that contaminates water supplies in at least 35 states, including California. Today's proposal reverses an interim decision under the Bush administration not to create a drinking water standard for perchlorate.
Senator Boxer said: "After calling for this standard for over 8 years, I was so pleased to hear Administrator Jackson's wonderful news that we are finally going to protect our families from perchlorate. Exposure to perchlorate in drinking water is dangerous, especially for pregnant women, infants and children, because it can harm the body's production of hormones necessary for mental and physical development. I will do everything I can to make sure this new protection moves forward."
