New Reports on Health Risks of Rocket Fuel

An anonymous reader writes "A new study revealed in the journal Nature says children are being made sick by rocket fuel near the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russia's main launch site. Space.com has a story about it that also tells of a new National Research Council report about rocket fuel contamination in the United States. It's in drinking water, bottled water, milk and even on lettuce. The Environmental Working Group has long fought for tougher standards on how much rocket fuel (actually, its main component, perchlorate) we ought to drink. Environmental Working Group has a response to the NRC report, and one of their officials is quoted in the Space.com story as saying the EPA will likely set tighter standards after considering the risk to infants. Bottom line: Rocket fuel probably isn't too good for us."