The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer impose limits on perchlorate, a toxic chemical compound linked to fetal and infant brain damage, the New York Times reports.
Where it stands: “The agency has determined that perchlorate does not occur with a frequency and at levels of public health concern, and that regulation of perchlorate does not present a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems,” the draft policy reads, the NYT reported according to unnamed EPA staff members.
The big picture: Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler made the call, which "appears to defy a court order that required the agency to establish a safe drinking-water standard for the chemical by the end of June," the Times writes. The policy acknowledges that perchlorate can cause IQ damage.
- The EPA last year proposed regulating the chemical compound at 56 micrograms per liter, a limit that's three times higher than what was previously deemed safe.
- A court ordered the EPA to set a new standard by June, but according to the Times, the agency plans on arguing that it's “not in the public interest” to regulate perchlorate.
What they're saying: An EPA spokesperson told Axios the agency hasn't made a final decision on regulating perchlorate.
