PERCHLORATE Kevin Mayer

U.S. EPA, Region 9

Background and History

Occurrence

Toxicity

Regulatory Status

Perchlorate PROBLEM STATEMENTS

Is this Chemical in the Environment ? (Is there an EXPOSURE ?)

With this information, we can start to Make REGULATORY DECISIONS

If so, should we worry about this ?(Define the TOXICITY)

Perchlorate CHEMISTRY

Dissolves and Moves Like Salt in Water

Highly Soluble, Mobile, Stable

Hard to Treat by Usual Methods

Hard to Detect Below 400 ppb, until March 1997

4

Cl

0

00

0

PERCHLORATE ClO4

Perchlorate HISTORY

1980s - Aware of Perchlorate Use at CA and NV Superfund Sites

1990s - Aerojet in Rancho Cordova Discovered at > 1000 ppb in Groundwater

1908 - First Manufactured at Niagara Falls, Eventually at 9 Locations, now only in Cedar City, UT1950s – Used as Human Drug

Perchlorate HISTORY

1992 and 1995 - EPA Provisional Reference Dose at 4 - 18 ppb

1998 - Region 9 Requests Manufacturer’s Information

1997 and 1998 - Region 9 Alerts EPA HQ, Regions, and States

1997 - Analytical Breakthrough to 4 ppb

Perchlorate USES

90% Manufactured for Solid Rocket Fuel

Explosives

Fireworks, Flares and Smoke Markers

Reported in Nitrate Fertilizer from Chile

Perchlorate SHIPMENTS

Manufacturer's Informationfrom Region 9 Requests

About 240 Facilities

40+ States

Information Not Available Before 1970s

PERCHLORATE MANUFACTURERS and USERS

APRIL, 2003

PerchlorateOCCURRENCE

Detections Reported in 35 States

AL, AZ, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV and PR

CALIFORNIAOver 6700 Water Supply Wells TestedDetected in 350 sources, 5+ %

 

US EPA September 2004 : www.epa.gov/fedfac/documents/perchlorate.htm

In 1997, 900 pounds per day entered Lake Mead

By 2001, about 500 pounds per day

Measurable entire 300 miles to Mexico

Used by Las Vegas Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and agriculture

Water supply for over 15 million people

500 ppb 150 ppb

10 ppb 7 ppb

6 ppb 4 ppb

5 ppb <4 ppb

5 ppb <4 ppb

Lower Colorado River 2002 and 2004 Average Perchlorate Concentrations

PERCHLORATE RELEASES

Superfund Sites

Site Assessment Areas

Colorado River Contamination

San Fernando (2)

Santa Clarita

SanFrancisco

Sacramento

San Jose

Los Angeles

Lake Tahoe

M E X I C O

C A L I F O R N I A

Carson City

Reno

Las Vegas

N E V A D A

A R I Z O N A

Hollister (2)

Edwards AFB

Rialto

Corona

Santa Susanna

El Toro MCAS

Lincoln

LLNL Site 300

Phoenix

Tucson

San Nicholas

Stringfellow

Benson Apache

Gila River Brownfields

Davis Monthan

Goodyear

White Tanks

Rancho Cordova

Aerojet

BMI Kerr-McGeePEPCON

Island

State Lead Sites

Tulare County

Vandenberg AFB

Casmalia

San Gabriel ( 3)

NASA JPL

U.S. EPA Region 9

Redlands

Wyle

Chino Basin(2)

UTC

San MartinSanta Clara

Sonoma

June 2004 CA-32 AZ-7 NV-3