| Popis: |
In 1997, following the development of a highly sensitive analytical method for perchlorate, monitoring studies identified perchlorate as a contaminant of major drinking water resources in the southwestern U.S.1,2,3 The only known natural source of perchlorate is associated with mineral deposits found in Chile where the perchlorate may represent as much as 6–7% of the total mass.4 Although these Chilean deposits have been extensively mined as a mineral and nitrate source for fertilizer manufacture, this is not thought to represent a significant source of perchlorate in the environment. The primary industrial use of perchlorate is as an oxidant in munitions manufacture and the unregulated release of perchlorate-containing wastestreams from munition manufacturing and handling facilities has been identified as the predominant source of this contaminant in the U.S.1,3 |
