Volunteers ingest pollutant for water study

Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Volunteers in a drinking-water study are being paid $1,000 each to take pills containing an industrial pollutant found in rocket fuel.

The experiment, designed to determine if a pollutant called perchlorate interferes with thyroid glands, will develop data that could influence the setting of national and state drinking-water standards, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

Scientists have been concerned about perchlorate's possible effects on humans for three years, since the chemical was discovered in Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's major source of drinking water, and in Colorado River water downstream. About 20 million people are exposed to the rocket fuel booster through those sources.

Perchlorate can slow thyroid gland activity, potentially slowing growth. It has been made in Henderson since the 1950s and, besides rocket fuel, is used in fireworks, fertilizers and lubricating oils.

The experiment at Loma Linda Medical Center, funded by major defense contractor Lockheed Martin, has also raised questions about whether scientists should allow people to ingest chemicals or pesticides to help researchers learn about the dangers of environmental contaminants.

It is believed to be the first large-scale study to use human volunteers to test a water pollutant.

"These tests are inherently unethical," said Richard Wiles, research director of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental group that opposes such studies on humans.

At high doses, perchlorate can interrupt production of thyroid hormones, research shows. Normal thyroid function is critical for regulating the growth of fetuses and young children and the metabolism of adults.

The difference between the Loma Linda test and previous studies is that the 100 volunteers -- half receiving a perchlorate-laced pill, the other half getting a placebo -- receive a dose 83 times more than a person drinking water containing the amount allowed by California's Department of Health Services, the Los Angeles Times story said.

In previous medical studies, people in Chile, Reno and Las Vegas received whatever level of perchlorate was contained in their drinking supplies. One study published this year showed that infants in Arizona supplied by Lake Mead water are born with altered thyroid function. But other studies in perchlorate-contaminated Las Vegas and Chile showed no such effects.

Those who perform tests on humans compare them to clinical trials for drugs. But critics say clinical trials are done to help find treatments for sick people while consuming a pollutant has no medical benefits.

Scientists in the Loma Linda study argue that perchlorate is not just a pollutant but a drug used to treat hyperthyroidism. The California volunteers have agreed to swallow perchlorate pills for six months. The experiment began in August.

The Loma Linda volunteers are undergoing monthly medical examinations to ensure that they face no health threats while participating in the study, researchers say.

There is currently no government agency that regulates human experiments. But every institution has a review board that must approve every study.

The boards of three medical institutions approved Loma Linda's perchlorate tests, Anthony Firek, who is directing the study, said.

In addition to Loma Linda, the study was approved by Boston University -- which employs one of the researchers -- and the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center, where some of the tests are being done, the L.A. Times reported.

Sun reporter Mary Manning and the Associated Press contributed to this story.