Perchlorate in Oregon

Perchlorate, a manufactured salt, has been used primarily as an oxidizer in rocket and missile fuels and explosives.  It is also used in highway safety flares, fireworks, matches, some dyes, lubricating oils, electroplating and medical supplies, and is found in some fertilizers.  It can also be naturally occurring in some mineral formations.  Perchlorate easily dissolves in water and so can be carried into lakes and ponds, streams and rivers, and can soak into the ground contaminating groundwater.

As part of an ongoing effort to track nitrate levels in the Lower Umatilla Basin (see map), DEQ collected, and EPA analyzed water samples from 133 wells in the area.  In addition to testing for nitrate, EPA analyzed for perchlorate, which had previously not been part of the analysis.  Perchlorate was found in low levels in over half of the wells.  In most of the wells that had perchlorate the concentration was below 4 parts per billion (ppb) the most commonly used public health goal.  Some wells, however, were above that level.

Health Advisories

Perchlorate disrupts iodine uptake in the thyroid gland and can interfere with thyroid hormone production.  Due to possible adverse health effects, people should avoid using water containing perchlorate for drinking and cooking.  Pregnant women, children and infants and individuals with thyroid disorders are considered to be the population most sensitive to the effects of perchlorate.

Sites

• North Morrow Perchlorate Study Area PDF (map)
• Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area

Action Level

Because no drinking water standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL) exists for perchlorate, an action level to protect consumers of 4ppb micrograms per liter (ug/L) is recommended.  Detection of perchlorate greater than the action level prompts other measures.

Links to Treatment Methods

• Point-of-Use (POU) Point-of-Entry (POE) Removal of Perchlorate
• National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Perchlorate Reduction
• Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Systems, NSF Product & Service Listings

Perchlorate Treatment Technology Fact Sheets

• In Situ Anaerobic Remediation PDF
• Bioreactors PDF
• Ion Exchange PDF
• Permeable Reactive Barriers PDF
• Phytoremediation PDF

Presentations

Perchlorate Occurrence in the Lower Umatilla Basin, Oregon

• Poster, 11x17 PDF
• Poster, 36x48 PDF 7.02MB

Labs

DISCLAIMER:  DEQ does not endorse, recommend nor warrant any individual laboratory included in the following list and cannot guarantee the performance of these laboratories.

• EPA list of laboratories approved for UCMR Perchlorate Analysis
• The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) web site provides a list of reverse osmosis units that have been independently verified to reduce perchlorate.
• Three labs in Oregon are approved by the EPA to conduct perchlorate tests for public drinking water systems:

1. CH2M Hill Applied Sciences Lab
   Ginger Collins (gcollins@ch2m.com
   2300 NW Walnut Blvd.
   Corvallis, OR  97330-3538
   (541) 752-4271
2. Umpqua Research Company
   Bennet K. Osborne (beno@urcmail.net)
   626 NE Division St.
   Myrtle Creek, OR  97457
   (541) 863-2680
3. Neilson Research Corp., Analytical Consulting Lab
   Tammy Kruetzer
   245 S Grape St.
   Medford, OR  97401-3123
   (541) 770-5678

Fact Sheets

• Perchlorate in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area - Issues and Answers PDF
• Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area PDF

DEQ Noticia Importante

• Percloratos en el agua de pozos en la Zona Sur de la Cuenca de Umatilla - Cuestiones y Respuestas, June 2005 PDF
• Perclorato en el Area de Estudio de la GWMA de la Cuenca de Umatilla: Preguntas y Respuestas, Marzo 2004 PDF

Department of Human Services (DHS) Investigation

• Superfund Health Investigation and Education Program (SHINE)
  Oregon Hazardous Waste Site that SHINE is currently Investigating.
• Investigacion Ilevada a cabo por el Departmento de Servicios Humanos (DHS)

Resources and related links

• Contaminant Focus, Perchlorate, Environmental Occurrence, US EPA
• Preliminary Analysis for Perchlorate in Selected Natural Materials and their Derivative Products, USGS Publication PDF
• US EPA - Ground Water & Drinking Water - Perchlorate
• Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area
• Drinking Water - Oregon Department of Human Services
• Perchlorate Questions and Answers, US Food and Drug Administration

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