Chemical Acts as Antithyroid Agent
Dateline: 08/31/99
According to public advocate Larry Ladd, research presented recently at the American Chemical Society is suggesting that America's fertilizer supply contains the chemical perchlorate, at concentrations of up to 1 percent. This finding raises the possibility that perchlorate exposure, which is know to have the potential to harm thyroid function, may be widespread in some of America's rural areas.
Perchlorate is a contaminant that exists in the environment as a part of other compounds such as ammonium, potassium, or sodium perchlorate. Ammonium perchlorate is manufactured as an oxygen-adding component in solid fuel propellant for rockets, missiles, and fireworks. Perchlorate is also now found to be a component of many common commercial fertilizers. The concerns surrounding perchlorate contamination involves its ability to affect the
thyroid gland.
Perchlorate Research Impasse:
Air Force Refuses to Release Data on Perchlorate
Perchlorate
Information Online
Perchlorate
Removal
EPA -- The Interagency
Perchlorate Steering Committee (IPSC)
Toxic Chemicals and the Thyroid -- Other
Links
About Larry Ladd
Larry Ladd is a medical geographer serving as a volunteer community representative on the
Aerojet Superfund Site Health Assessment Site Team in Rancho Cordova, California. He
maintains a perchlorate information webpage at
http://www.ZeroWasteAmerica.org/PerchlorateLarryLadd.htm. He can be reached at llladd@sprintmail.com.
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According to Ladd:
"the US EPA's legal limit for nitrate in drinking water is 45,000 ppb -- nitrate is known to have a mild anti-thyroid effect at these concentrations by competitively inhibiting iodide uptake, but the co-existence of a 1% fraction of perchlorate would likly double the
anti-thyroid effect. Rat pups drinking perchlorate at a dose level equal to
450 ppb in a human infant's baby formula experienced enlargement of thyroid
cells -- the potential effect of this thyroid stress on brain development is
now under debate. High nitrate wells in Nebraska and Kansas were tested for
perchlorate this summer, but the results are not yet available to the public.
Perchlorate Resources
Article discussing the Air Force's refusal to to release data to the EPA regarding how much of the rocket fuel component perchlorate is accumulating in the nation's food supply.
Map of Potential Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater
Excellent map featuring information on this issue.
Latest Perchlorate and Thyroid Links
Up-to-date links list for the perchlorate/thyroid issue.
The Perchlorate Problem --
Central Web Resource
In-depth information on the perchlorate problem, at the ZeroWasteAmerica perchlorate page.
Detailed overview of perchlorate's effect on the thyroid gland from the EPA's Office of Ground
Water and Drinking Water.
Calgon Carbon Corporation press release on the process of removing perchlorate from
groundwater
Committee including representatives from 19 different government agencies focused on finding
an integrated approach to framing perchlorate issues and to inform and involve stakeholders
about developments in the technical and regulatory arenas.
Want to talk about whether perchlorate contamination is causing your thyroid problems? Visit
the thyroid bulletin boards!
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