100% Natural Perchlorate

Local companies, including Rocketdyne, have been blamed for high levels of perchlorate in the groundwater. Now, it seems it's produced at low levels by natural processes.

With data coming in that supported the idea of naturally occurring perchorate, which is the basis of the award-winning ES&T article, the researchers began to consider the implications. “Perchlorate is an iodide transport inhibitor,” points out Dasgupta. “Does perchlorate at environmentally meaningful exposure levels inhibit iodide transport?” In two additional papers in ES&T, Dasgupta and his colleagues have shown that perchlorate is in Texas cow’s milk and, more dramatically, in human breast milk.

So either the stuff occurs naturally, or Rocketdyne has managed to salt the environment with incredibly large amounts of the stuff.

We're still encouraged to worry about the stuff, though:

With so many new avenues of research, it is not surprising that Dasgupta advocates that more environmental studies of perchlorate are needed. Citing arsenic in groundwater, he warns, “Being natural doesn’t make it good.”

It can, though, establish a level we've adapted to. For all we know, it'll turn out perchlorate is a nutrient. Arsenic may be, despite being toxic at high levels.

And remember, oxygen is toxic, in high doses.