Washington, DC -- Researchers at Texas Tech University Tuesday released a report that revealed high levels of perchlorate in breast milk. The following is the statement of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.):

“This new research points out the importance of getting legislation passed to address the danger perchlorate presents to public health nationwide.

We’ve got to come to grips with the perchlorate situation quickly. And EPA has to move quickly to set a national drinking water standard that protects the health and safety of all Americans, especially pregnant women, the unborn, infants, and young children.

There is much more work to do to determine the scope and the severity of the contamination across the country. It is time for the Congress and the EPA to move quickly to address this problem.”

Last December, Senator Feinstein announced plans to introduce comprehensive legislation to address perchlorate contamination. The legislation would:

• Authorize $200 million to identify and clean up the sources of perchlorate;
• Provide grants for the research and development of better cleanup technologies;
• Create an Interagency Task Force to coordinate federal activities regarding water sources nationwide;
• Require the Environmental Protection Agency to set a national primary drinking water standard for perchlorate; and
• Make perchlorate-polluting entities responsible for contamination cleanup efforts.

Perchlorate is a chemical used in rocket fuel and munitions. It is a highly soluble salt that can readily permeate through soils. Perchlorate was widely used by the Defense Department and its contractors in the 1950s and 1960s.