On Thursday, the EPA finalized a rule to roll back regulations of a chemical found in rocket fuel that can cause brain damage in infants. The Associated Press noted, the chemical's danger should not be underestimated to the 16 million Americans under threat of having the contaminant in their drinking water.
Perchlorate can damage the development of fetuses and children and cause measurable drops in IQ in newborns, the American Academy of Pediatrics said last August in urging the "strongest possible" federal limits. Studies cited by the doctors' group included one showing that 9 out of 13 breastfeeding infants were ingesting significant levels of the chemical.
The decision to deregulate perchlorate in public drinking water was described as "illegal, unscientific, and unconscionable," by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) senior strategic director for Health Erik D. Olson in a statement. "The Environmental Protection Agency is threatening the health of pregnant moms and young children with toxic chemicals in their drinking water at levels that literally can cause loss of IQ points," said Olson. "Is this what the Environmental Protection Agency has come to?"
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/18/illegal-unscientific-and-unconscionable-despite-risk-brain-damage-infants-trump-epa
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