How does Perchlorate affect us?

Scientists have known for decades that high amounts of perchlorate can harm brain development in early childhood; it has also been linked to rare infant thyroid cancer.

Perchlorate harms the thyroid gland, which controls our growth and development. The contaminant deprives the thyroid of iodide, which reduces the production of thyroid hormone.

Perchlorate can have particularly severe effects on the brain development of a fetus if a mother is exposed to the con-taminant while pregnant. Thyroid hormones are critical to proper development of the nervous and reproductive sys-tems.

Possible consequences of low thyroid levels include mental retardation, vision, speech and hearing impairment and abnormal gate. In older children, decreased thyroid levels have been linked to ADHD.

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