Do you live in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tucson, or anywhere near there? Well, the EPA just shook up your Magic 8-Ball, asked if it should regulate the perchlorate in your Colorado River drinking water, and "Outlook not so good" came up. Bummer! Guess you'll have to live with a known toxic component of rocket fuel that harms fetuses and affects thyroid functioning.

However, they may issue a bulletin telling you that it might harm your unborn children, just so you know. At least it works out OK for the poor, impoverished Department of Defense, who'd have to fund the cleanup.

The EPA's assistant administrator for water, Benjamin Grumbles, said he knew that perchlorate was toxic, but questioned whether regulation of drinking water was feasible or effective. He cited a Food and Drug Administration study released in January that found 81 percent of perchlorate intake by infants comes from baby foods and dairy foods, and that 74 percent of the 285 distinct foods tested contained the chemical.

Grumbles' point that drinking water isn't the only source of perchlorate intake is well-taken, but we'd rebut that by noting that the study he cited only dealt with infants, not adults, who are more likely to drink significant amounts of tapwater. Also, given the EPA's jurisdiction over water pollution in all forms, not just drinking water, the fact that it's present in food doesn't seem to be a barrier to regulating its presence in surface and groundwater used for irrigation and livestock watering too.