The idea of drinking rocket fuel sounds absurd, but millions of Americans are doing just that – and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that’s not a problem.

Perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel, has been found in drinking water in at least 35 states. It has been linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children.

So why is this dangerous toxin still in our drinking water? We cannot place all the blame on the EPA. In fact, six years ago the EPA suggested a limit for perchlorate contaminated after they found that even small reductions in thyroid function in infants can lower IQ and cause behavioral problems.

Here’s the problem: The source of all that rocket fuel in our drinking water is the Defense Department – from decades of testing missiles and rockets – and the Pentagon would face hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs if perchlorate were regulated.

Last month the EPA called off its six-year effort to regulate the chemical.

Lenny Siegel of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight explains, “This is an unconscionable decision not based upon science or law but on concern that a more stringent standard could cost the government significantly.”

And so for now, drink up! And enjoy that zesty rocket fuel!

Or . . . Take regulatory matters into your own hands and purify water with a home water filter.