Editorial: Study effects of perchlorate in our water

Friday, Sept. 12, 1997 | 9:54 a.m.

FOR too many years, water contamination has exposed thousands of Nevadans to serious health hazards.

At fault are companies that have profited from the state's lax environmental laws.

Last century, Comstock miners polluted the Carson River with 7,500 tons of mercury used to extract gold and other precious metals. The mess still hasn't been cleaned up.

Recent events indicate that Southern Nevada is facing problems of its own.

High concentrations of the chemical perchlorate have turned up in the Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's major drinking water source.

Used in rocket fuel and explosives, perchlorate was made for 50 years by two companies near Henderson -- Kerr-McGee Corp. and Pacific Engineering and Production Co. PEPCON moved to Utah after an explosion at its plant in 1988.

Officials say workers at both plants routinely dumped hazardous materials into unlined ditches and open pits.

State inspectors suspect Kerr-McGee as a source of perchlorate contamination. If that proves to be true, the company may have to pay for clearing the chemical out of the groundwater leading to Lake Mead. Kerr-McGee still makes perchlorate at its plant near Henderson and stores it 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas at Apex.

Right now, everybody in any official capacity is downplaying the danger.

In small amounts, perchlorate can be beneficial. Doctors prescribe it for those who have overactive thyroids and, in some cases, to help balance the body's functions for patients on heart drugs. Perchlorate is also used to fatten cattle.

The problem is that uncontrollable levels could continue seeping into the valley's water supply.

State investigators discovered a perchlorate contamination rate of 3,700 parts per million at a Kerr-McGee well.

That level is much higher than guidelines set by California officials worried about the health effects of perchlorate. There, the standard has been established at 18 parts per billion in drinking water.

Nevada officials have found traces of perchlorate in Las Vegas drinking water at levels up to 11 parts per billion.

Clark County Health Officer Donald Kwalick said a person would have to drink more than 250 gallons of water a day laced with 11 parts per billion of perchlorate to suffer ill effects. Kwalick said a person would die from an overdose of water at that amount before the perchlorate hit.

One of the biggest concerns is that no one knows exactly what a large dose of perchlorate will do to the human body.

In a search for answers, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has sponsored legislation with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., instructing the National Institutes of Health to investigate the chemical's impact on those who consume it.

The study won't explore the source of the leak in Las Vegas -- that's up to local authorities. But an amended version to be worked out in the coming weeks will include $2 million for research on technology that would remove perchlorate from drinking water. Reid supports the $2 million grant.

We strongly urge quick passage of Reid's bill. As he has pointed out, water in the West is far more precious than gold.