What are the Implications of Human and Ecological Exposures to Perchlorate?

With as much certainty as the science currently offers, this chapter focuses on the question of whether, and to what degree, the presence of perchlorate in the environment poses a threat to human health and the environment. Perchlorate compounds find many uses and can originate from natural sources. This chapter describes how humans and other species may be exposed to possible environmental sources such as soil, surface water, and groundwater, and the current knowledge of the toxic properties of perchlorate.