Community’s Right To Know About Perchlorate Disclosures. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif, introduced legislation Tuesday in the Senate guaranteeing a community’s “right to know” about the use of perchlorate by companies.
If passed, the Perchlorate Community Right-to-Know Act would require anyone who has stored or transported more than 375 pounds of perchlorate since Jan. 1, 1950, to report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency no later than June 1, 2005. It also would require anyone who discharged perchlorate into the water to report volumes, method and remedial actions to the EPA by the same date.
Perchlorate contamination has been found in 400 water sources in 20 counties statewide.
Water Perchlorate Contamination
All fees and fines for failure to comply will be deposited into a fund for public water suppliers and private well owners to use to purchase clean water if their supply is shut down because of perchlorate contamination.
“Up to 10 million Californians are currently drinking perchlorate-contaminated water, and we are continually discovering more contaminated drinking water sources. Despite the gravity of this situation, we currently have no way of knowing who is dumping or where they are dumping it, and there is no accountability. That is unacceptable,” Boxer said in a written statement.
Perchlorate has been discovered in ground water in Simi Valley and adjacent to the Ahmanson Ranch property, but is not in drinking water there.
The chemical is an explosive salt that is the main ingredient in rocket fuel and ammunition testing. Exposure at low concentrations is linked to thyroid disorders and cancer, mental retardation and interferes with prenatal development.
Need Legal Help Regarding Perchlorate Disclosures?
The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529).
