Pentagon blocked move to make water safer

by **Rigorous Intuition** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:25 pm

Pentagon blocked move to make water safer  · Contaminating solvent used on military bases · Agency feared significant health risk for millions Julian Borger in Washington Thursday March 30, 2006 The Pentagon stalled efforts to clean water supplies contaminated by a carcinogenic chemical despite evidence that it posed a significant health risk to millions of people, it was reported yesterday. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigated the solvent, trichloroethylene, which is extensively used on military bases, after significant quantities were found in water supplies. In its report, published in 2001, the EPA found it to be 40 times more likely to cause cancer than had been previously thought, and recommended tough safety standards to limit public exposure. There was also evidence the chemical played a role in birth defects. But the Los Angeles Times reported that the defence department, which owns about 1,400 bases and other sites contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), fought the findings, challenging their scientific basis. Under pressure from the Pentagon, political appointees at the EPA overruled their own scientists, took them off the case and postponed action pending a further study by the National Academy of Sciences, which is due to report this summer. "The evidence is that there was some monkey business going on between the EPA and the Pentagon," said Gina Solomon, an expert on environmental medicine at the University of California, who was on the scientific board that reviewed the EPA report. ... Yesterday afternoon the EPA had not returned a call seeking comment. A Pentagon spokeswoman pointed to remarks made by a defence department official, Alex Beehler, to the LA Times, arguing that much about TCE was unknown. "We are all forgetting the facts on the table," said Mr Beehler. "Meanwhile, we have done everything we can to curtail use of TCE." ... "There is essentially a whole industry out there of doubt creators. They don't do any science. They just question the regulatory agencies," Prof Ozonoff said. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1742619,00.html?gusrc=rss">www.guardian.co.uk</a>

by **chiggerbit** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:08 am

I just tried to do a google on this chemical with regards to a near-local site, where nuclear bombs were made a couple of decades ago in Middletown, Iowa, , and my puter froze up. Is this also a farm chemical? <a href="http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:wp3liwrLD6cJ:207.90.163.3/communities/2002report/missouri/oakgrove.asp+trichloroethylene+(TCE)%2BMiddletown,+Iowa&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4">72.14.203.104/search?q=ca...=clnk&cd=4</a>

by **tigre63** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 1:43 am

<a href="http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/overview.nsf/0/4974e8b6c43585f58825672a00826d1a!OpenDocument&ExpandSection=8">Aerojet</a> Description: The Aerojet General Corporation site covers 5,900 acres near Rancho Cordova, 15 miles east of Sacramento. The northeastern edge of the site is about 1/2 mile from the American River. Since 1953, Aerojet and its subsidiaries have manufactured liquid and solid propellant rocket engines for military and commercial applications and have formulated a number of chemicals, including rocket propellant agents, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and other industrial chemicals. In addition, the Cordova Chemical Company operated chemical manufacturing facilities on the Aerojet complex from 1974 to 1979. Both companies disposed of unknown quantities of hazardous waste chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chemicals associated with rocket propellants, as well as various chemical processing wastes. Some wastes were disposed of in surface impoundments, landfills, deep injection wells, leachate fields, and some were disposed of by open burning. Underlying the site are extensive 40 to 100 foot-deep dredge tailings, a remnant of past gold mining operations. In 1979, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found off-site in private wells and in the American River in 1983. Perchlorate, a component of solid rocket fuel, was found in drinking water wells off-site above the provisional reference dose range in January 1997. The communities potentially affected by this site are Rancho Cordova, population 55,000; Carmichael, population 49,000 and Sacramento, population 407,000. The closest residence is about 500 feet away from the site. Groundwater is used extensively throughout the Rancho Cordova area to supply municipal, domestic, industrial and some irrigation water. Public and private drinking water supply wells have been contaminated and wells contaminated above action levels have been closed. Aerojet continues to monitor drinking water supplies to assure compliance with drinking water standards. Lake Natoma and Alder Creek are nearby and are used for recreational activities. The American River is used for public water supplies. ******************* I lived near the American River at this time and remember Aerojet. They made the original space shuttle engine at this facility(if I remember right).When it was first relized that TCE was leaking into the river Aerojet downplayed it talking about 'acceptable levels'. It appears this sort of thing has always happened and pretty much continues to happen. So its no surprise the Pentagon has no desire to help out the environment, afterall that would mean more costs for their corporate buddies.

by **thoughtographer** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 1:54 am

Trichloroethylene and similar solvents (perchlor, tetrachlor, etc.) are also used widely as degreasers. If you've had you clothes drycleaned before, you've been a patron of a strip mall vanity industry that uses it (perchlor) every day. I used to be friendly with a Korean family that ran a cleaning business, and they expressed their frustration at the lack of affordable safe, tested alternatives that wouldn't put them completely out of business. Decades ago, residents of the Collegeville, Pennsylvania area were treated to a long span of time where the local paper sported a skull and crossbones at the top of the front page, giving them a running count of the number of known days that their water and air supply had been tainted with trichlor (commonly just called "TCE") with no cleanup plan in sight. Everyone pointed their fingers elsewhere, while their cancer paranoia grew exponentially, and their children drank tainted water every day. Of course, this was when people would just laugh at the prospect of buying bottled water all the time, because they were already paying good money for the swill coming down the pipe. The same greasy-haired local politicians and council members still haunt the area, with their halitosis and thin, polyester socks. Everyone just smiles and nods. "A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."

by **tigre63** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:17 am

This could be the most depressing subject in the world today, and a prime example of politicians keeping the majority in the dark about the dangers that threaten them daily. How many people really know how dangerous PVC is? Or how many things it is used for in construction? Its getting to a point where everyones water pipes are made of PVC. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride</a> Of course this is just one example.

Pentagon blocked move to make water safer

Pentagon blocked move to make water safer

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