Perchlorate

Perchlorate is a toxic chemical used as the primary ingredient in the manufacturing of solid rocket propellant. Wastes from the manufacture and improper disposal of perchlorate-containing chemicals are increasingly being discovered in soil and water.

Sources of drinking water for millions of Americans are contaminated with perchlorate, which has been proven to disrupt normal thyroid function, may cause thyroid cancer and persists indefinitely in the environment.

Nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency has found perchlorate-tainted water in several states and believes it poses a threat to drinking water wherever rocket fuel or rockets were made, tested, or disposed of, and wherever other large scale uses of perchlorate are found.

How can perchlorate affect human health?

Perchlorate interferes with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland. The human thyroid gland controls growth, development and metabolism. Because iodide is an essential component of thyroid hormones, perchlorate disrupts how the thyroid functions.

The thyroid gland helps regulate metabolism in adults. It also plays a vital role in a child’s development as well as regulating metabolism in children.

Pregnant women’s developing fetuses and infants are most at risk to the health effects of perchlorate.