Tell the EPA: Get Rocket Fuel Out of Our Water

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new drinking water standards to protect us from perchlorate, a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel and explosives that has contaminated drinking water across the country. But the limits are dangerously weak and would do little to protect public health.

Add your voice to call for stronger safeguards that will protect us from toxic perchlorate.

Submit a public comment by March 9.

Submit a public comment by March 9 demanding strong, science-based perchlorate limits in drinking water.

Space rocket that uses perchlorate launches near wildlife and waterways.

Bill Ingalls/NASA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has dragged its feet for decades while perchlorate — a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, explosives, and fireworks — has polluted drinking water across the country. This chemical interferes with thyroid function and can damage the developing brains of infants and children. Up to 16 million people may be exposed to perchlorate through their tap water.

The EPA is now proposing a federal drinking water standard — but only because a federal court forced the agency to act after NRDC sued. And the options on the table are shockingly weak: 20, 40, or even 80 parts per billion, levels so lax they would do little to reduce exposure or protect public health. State scientists have found that to protect vulnerable fetuses and infants, a safe level should be 10 to 100 times stricter than EPA’s lowest proposed standard.

EPA’s proposal is not protection — it’s rejection. Of science and the law.

The EPA is accepting public comments on these new standards through March 9. NRDC will be calling for a strong, science-based perchlorate limit that actually delivers cleaner, safer drinking water.

Add your voice to demand the EPA do its job and protect us from toxic perchlorate.

CTA

Your Message

Subject [EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0592-0001] Set a Strong Perchlorate Standard

Dear Administrator Zeldin,

Message Body

I urge the EPA to adopt a strong maximum contaminant level (MCL) for perchlorate that is protective of public health, especially for fetuses, infants, and children whose developing thyroids and brains are uniquely vulnerable to perchlorate exposure.

The proposed options of 20 ppb, 40 ppb, or 80 ppb are far too weak to protect the most vulnerable populations and are far less protective than existing state standards. In fact, a safe level should be 10 to 100 times stricter than EPA’s lowest proposed standard.

EPA’s own science and decades of monitoring show perchlorate’s potential health impacts and widespread occurrence. A stricter federal standard — informed by the best available science — is necessary to reduce exposure and prevent harm.

Please revise the proposed rule to establish a health-protective perchlorate limit that reflects scientific evidence and prioritizes the well-being of all communities, especially those disproportionately impacted by toxic contamination.

Thank you for your consideration.

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