Characteristics of Perchlorate

Characteristics of Perchlorate Sources of perchlorate Perchlorate is a chemical that occurs naturally, although it may as well be man-made. In addition, perchlorate can also be found in some fertilizers and in bleach. It has found wide application in the manufacture of fireworks, flares, rocket fuel, and explosives1. Many of the sites where perchlorate can be found occurring naturally are, by and large, limited to the arid areas. Such deposits are largely low concentration.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Characteristics of Perchlorate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, man-made sources of perchlorate are mainly highly concentrated in comparison with the natural sources. Sites with high levels of perchlorate contamination are mainly involved in the production, testing, and disposal of perchlorate compounds and solid rocket propellants. Others include industrial production sites that use perchlorate compounds as reagents2. EPA response for regulating and remediation The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the EPA the mandate to regulate perchlorate. Peer review reports by various public health experts and independent scientists as well have played a key role in influencing the decision y the EPA to impose a regulation on perchlorate. The new decision by the EPA would be a reversal of the 2008 preliminary determination3. It takes into account the over 39,000 comments from members of the public regarding multiple public notices on perchlorate3. This action is an attempt to create awareness among interested parties on the decision reached by the EPA on regulating perchlorate. Nonetheless, the action does not in any way try to impose any public water systems (PWS) requirements4. On the other hand, this action has laid the framework for the designing and the development of a primary drinking water regulation at the national level (NPDWR). Following the finalization of the NPDWR, a number of PWSs could be forced to make an effort to abide by the requirements in line with the program required by the regulation5. In addition, the EPA also intends to create a drinking water standard that will take care of about 16 toxic chemicals that have been noted to pose a danger top human health. The aim of the EPA is to continue assessing the health effects of perchlorate, along with the science behind their occurrence in public water systems. Moreover, the EPA intends to embark on a project aimed at examining the affordability and feasibility of treatment technologies aimed at removing perchlorate. The agency shall also assess the benefits and costs of potential standards. Risk potential Sufficient doses of perchlorate can interfere with the normal operations of the thyroid gland. Perchlorate disrupts the transportation of iodide into the thyroid gland, in effect reducing iodide availability that is necessary for the manufacture of thyroid hormones. These hormones are vital for normal growth, metabolis m and development.Advertising Looking for research paper on chemistry? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pregnant women are especially at a greater risk of thyroid hormone synthesis disruption2. Others include the developing fetuses, newly-born infants, young children, and also person with low thyroid hormones levels (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection). On the basis of such a potential concern, the EPA has deemed it necessary to propose a formal rule. The process shall entail the reception of feedback from important stakeholders in addition to the provision of any formal rule to members of the public via a comment process 3. It is important to note that exposure to sufficient doses of perchlorate may result in adverse health effects similar to those brought about by iodine deficiency among humans. When there is not enough intake of iodine in the diet, the individual in question suffers from a decline in the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormone. Based on the severity of such an iodine deficiency, the individual in question can manifest such effects as impairment in behavior, speech, vision, movement, physical development, hearing, and intelligence4. Scientists also contend that sufficient doses of perchlorate can interfere with the ability of the thyroid gland to synthesize hormones vital for the development of both fetuses and infants1. Monitoring data reveals that over 4 percent of public water systems contain detectable levels of perchlorate. In addition, the same data indicates that between 5 and 17 million individuals are at risk of drinking water containing sufficient levels of perchlorate. Standards set by states such as California and Massachusetts In Massachusetts, the MassDEP is in the process of commissioning a drinking water standard. The new standard will ensure that the maximum contaminant level of perchlorate in drinking water does not exceed 2 ppb3. It is i mportant to appreciate that the new promulgation shall be the first veer drinking water standards in the country for perchlorate. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Contingency Plan is also in the process of establishing perchlorate groundwater and soil standards to facilitate the cleaning up exercise of hazardous waste sites. Also, MassDEP plans to adopt a reference dose to facilitate risk assessment at specific sites. The state of California also regulates perchlorate as a contaminant in drinking water1. In this case, 6 micrograms per liter is the recommended maximum contaminant level of perchlorate in the state of California.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Characteristics of Perchlorate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References 1. California Department of Toxic Substances Control, â€Å"Perchlorate â€Å", Last modified September 1, 2007, dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate/ 2. Isa, Jalil, â€Å"EPA To Develop Regulation for Perchlorate and Toxic Chemicals in Drinking Water.† Environmental Protection Agency, Last modified February 02, 2011, http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/634884579f4cc5d8525782b004d81ae!Open 3. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. â€Å" Frequently Asked Questions: Perchlorate†. n.d, mass.gov/dep/toxics/pchlorqa.htm 4. Trumpolt, Clayton et al. â€Å"Perchlorate: Sources, Uses, and Occurrences in the Environment.†Wiley Periodicals, Last modified December 20, 2005, http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/CLEANUP.NSF/PH/Arkema+Technical+Documents/$FILE/Perchlorate-Sources-Occurance-In-The-Environment.pdf 5. United States Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Perchlorate†. Last modified March 06, 2012, http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.cfm Bibliography California Department of Toxic Substances Control. â€Å"Perchlorate. â€Å" California  Department of Tox ic Substances Control. Last modified September 1, 2007. dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate/ Isa, Jalil. â€Å"EPA To Develop Regulation for Perchlorate and Toxic Chemicals in Drinking Water.† Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified February 02, 2011. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/634884579f4cc5d8525782b004d81ae!OpenAdvertising Looking for research paper on chemistry? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions: Perchlorate†. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Last modified June12, 2006. mass.gov/dep/toxics/pchlorqa.htm Trumpolt, Clayton et al. â€Å"Perchlorate: Sources, Uses, and Occurrences in the Environment.†Wiley Periodicals. Last modified December 20, 2005. http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/CLEANUP.NSF/PH/Arkema+Technical+Documents/$FILE/Perchlorate-Sources-Occurance-In-The-Environment.pdf United States Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Perchlorate.† United States  Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified March06, 2012. http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.cfm

Civil Rights of a Fetus - Law, Philosophy and Religion

Civil Rights of a Fetus - Law, Philosophy and Religion The Roe majority ruling of 1973 holds that the government has a legitimate interest in protecting potential human life, but that this does not become a compelling state interestoverriding the womans Fourteenth Amendment right to privacy, and her subsequent right to terminate her pregnancyuntil the point of viability, then assessed at 24 weeks. The Supreme Court did not state that viability is or is not when a fetus becomes a person; just that this is the earliest point at which it can be proven that the fetus has the capacity to have a meaningful life as a person. The Planned Parenthood v. Casey Standard In the Casey ruling of 1992, the Court scaled back the viability standard from 24 weeks to 22 weeks. Casey also holds that the state may protect its profound interest in potential life so long as it does not do so in a way that has the intent or effect of posing an undue burden on the womans right to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability. In Gonzales v. Carhart (2007), the Supreme Court held that a ban on live intact DX (partial birth) abortions does not violate this standard. In Fetal Homicide Statutes Laws that treat the murder of a pregnant woman as a double murder arguably affirm fetal rights in a statutory manner. Because the attacker has no right to terminate the womans pregnancy against her will, it could be argued that the states interest in protecting potential life is unrestricted in cases of fetal homicide. The Supreme Court has not ruled on the matter of whether fetal homicide, on its own, may constitute grounds for capital punishment. Under International Law The only treaty that specifically grants rights to fetuses is the American Convention on Human Rights of 1969, signed by 24 Latin American countries, which states that human beings have rights beginning at the moment of conception. The United States is not a signatory to this treaty. The treaty does not require that signatories ban abortion, according to the most recent binding interpretation. In Philosophy Most philosophies of natural rights would hold that fetuses have rights when they become sentient or self-aware, which presumes a neurophysiological definition of personhood. Self-awareness as we generally understand it would require substantial neocortical development, which seems to occur at or near week 23. In the premodern era, self-awareness was most often presumed to occur at quickening, which generally takes place around the 20th week of pregnancy. In Religion Religious traditions holding that personhood rests in the presence of a non-physical soul differ with respect to the question of when the soul is implanted. Some traditions hold that this occurs at the moment of conception, but most hold that this occurs much later in the pregnancy, at or near quickening. Religious traditions that do not include belief in a soul do not generally tend to define fetal personhood in explicit terms. The Future of Fetal Rights The conundrum posed by abortion rests in the tension between a womans right to terminate her pregnancy and the potential rights of the potential human being. Medical technologies currently under development, such as fetal transplantation and artificial wombs, could one day eliminate this tension, deprecating abortion in favor of procedures that terminate the pregnancy without harming the fetus.