Chemical goes unregulated in drinking water

A leaked report indicates the Environmental Protection Agency is not going to regulate a chemical linked to thyroid problems. In Georgia, the chemical has shown up in at least 3 drinking water sources. .

The chemical is called perchlorate. It’s a component of rocket-fuel and has been found in fertilizers and people across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control found it all the people it tested in a 2001-2002 study.

An EPA report leaked to the Washington Post suggests the federal government will not regulate perchlorate in drinking water. That means it’s up to the state to limit the chemical.

Government scientists found perchlorate in drinking water sources in Fayette, Oconee and Houston counties. The levels ranged from 5 to 38 parts per billion. The CDC says rates that high in people disrupt hormones and would require treatment for some pregnant women to prevent developmental risk to babies.

The EPA will make a final decision on federal regulation in December. Public comment opens in a few weeks

CDC says Savannah River Site not contaminating water

The Centers for Disease Control says water near the Savannah River Site, a nuclear materials processing facility near Augusta along the Georgia-South Carolina border, is safe.

A study spanning about 12 years found no contaminants in the groundwater near the site, and levels of radioactive materials in surface water were too low to cause health concerns.

The CDC started its study in 1993, monitoring water for radioactive materials such as tritium and cesium.

Contaminants were found in the water on the site itself, and there are concerns that a toxic plume could potentially migrate out of the site, although that hasn't happened. SRS has been containing the plume.

The study did find levels of radium and lead in a city well in Jackson, South Carolina, but officials say it occurred naturally and was unrelated to the Savannah River Site.

The well has been taken offline.

For more information, or to read the report, go to www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/index.asp.