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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A popular downtown Salt Lake City well is mildly contaminated with an additive to rocket and jet fuel. However, water officials say the public's health isn't at risk because the dosage is so small.
The well at the corner of 500 East and 800 South has been cherished as a pure water source for more than a century. Water quality officials aren't sure how it became contaminated with perchlorate and are investigating.
The chemical is an endocrine disrupter. That means it alters hormone levels.
The state Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste says perchlorate tampers with the thyroid, which regulates the metabolism in adults and could interfere with the proper mental development in fetuses and small children.
------ Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
