Traces Of Perchlorate Found In SoCal Milk

Milk Tainted By Rocket Fuel Contaminant

Jun 22, 2004 7:52 pm US/Pacific

LOS ANGELES (CBS) An environmental group says milk from California cows may expose infants and children to unacceptable levels of a toxic ingredient, CBS 2 News reported.

L.A. County health experts say the findings should not stop you from drinking milk.

“Millions of pounds of this rocket fuel containment has gotten into the Colorado river water,” says John Parfrey of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Alfalfa that springs from this region is being fed to dairy cattle whose milk contains traces of a rocket fuel contaminant.

The environmental working group recently tested 33 samples of well-known brands of milk purchased in L.A. and Orange Counties, and found the chemical perchlorate in all but one.

Pregnant women and also small children are all vulnerable to this chemical, says Parfrey.

According to the study, children from the one to five who drink between one and two cups of milk a day are getting daily amounts higher than the EPA recommends.

Perchlorate can affect the thyroid gland’s ability to make essential hormones and can cause lowered IQ, mental retardations and loss of hearing and speech.

In minute amounts, like those found in milk, no human studies have shown any adverse affect.

“The levels we’re talking about here, I think there’s no evidence that would suggest that people should change their habits in terms of drinking milk, or that they should change what they feed their infants or their children,” according to Dr. Jonathan Fielding of the L.A. County Dept. of Health.

Currently there are no federal or state standards on how much perchlorate is too much, CBS 2 News reported.

California is preparing to set a clean-up standard early next year.