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Perchlorate (ClO4-) contaminates groundwater that could be used by approximately 15million Americans (U.S. EPA 1999). The majority of perchlorate in the environment originatedfrom its use as a propellant in rocket fuel (Gullick et al. 2001). As perchlorate has a limited shelflife, the rocket fuel was periodically washed from the rockets. This contaminated wash thenmade its way into the groundwater.Perchlorate is a concern to human health. At one time it was used to treat Graves disease;however, its use has been discontinued as perchlorate was linked to anemia and fetal braindamage. The primary health concern with perchlorate deals with the thyroid. Perchlorate willinhibit the uptake of iodide by the thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism (Li et al. 2001). Toaddress the health concern presented by perchlorate, several states including California andTexas, have implemented state action levels for ClO4- that range between 2 and 18 ppb.This research indicates that tailored granular activated carbon (GAC) can removeperchlorate for extended time. This tailoring consists of preloading the GAC with organiccations, and this process can increase the GAC bed life by 30 times. Includes 5 references, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 06/15/2003 Number of Pages: 5File Size: 1 file , 460 KB