Dole joins Democrats on water

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Salisbury Republican, co-sponsored Democratic legislation this week that would require the federal government to limit levels of a harmful chemical sometimes found in drinking water – including in the wells of Camp Lejeune.

The bill, introduced Wednesday by Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, aims to protect residents from trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE, reports Barb Barrett. The chemical is found in paint, adhesives, spot removers and solvents used to clean metal parts.

The chemical was present in drinking water at Camp Lejeune wells from the 1950s until the 1980s. The problems of Camp Lejeune’s water have been known, but Congress has been re-visiting the issue in hearings this summer.

Other senators co-sponsoring the bill include Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

Read more after the jump.

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TCE is considered the most common water contaminant in the country. Used in dry-cleaning establishments and de-greasing solvents, it can contaminate groundwater for long periods of time. Drinking small amounts of TCE in water over long periods of time is thought to cause organ damage and hurt fetal development in pregnant women.

In 2001, an Environment Protection Agency report found that TCE is 40 times more toxic than previously thought, according to Clinton, and a National Research Council report last year said even more evidence exists about the chemical’s hazards.

The EPA has no plans to establish a standard on TCE in drinking water until 2010, according to Clinton.

The group of senators wants the Environment Protection Agency to set up a health advisory board for TCE and to establish updated regulations on the amount of TCE allowed in drinking water.

Dole submitted an amendment this summer to a Department of Defense authorization bill that would require the Marines to notify all former residents of Camp Lejeune who lived at the base during the years of contamination about the TCE problems. The bill has not been acted on.