Human Hazard Assessment for Perchlorate
Human Hazard Assessment for Perchlorate in Upland Game from the Potrero Canyon Unit in the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Riverside County
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) performed a hazard assessment for upland game collected from the Potrero Canyon Unit of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County, California. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is considering allowing public access to this area for hunting of certain upland game (i.e., Mourning Dove, California Quail, jack rabbit, and cottontail rabbit) present in this locale. To address the concern that these local game species may be contaminated with perchlorate from a former rocket motor testing burn site (Beaumont Site 1) within this area, DFG collected samples of these species and analyzed their muscle tissue for perchlorate residues. Using the residue data and information from published reports, data on weights of edible muscle in the collected samples, and DFG estimates of meal sizes, OEHHA estimated seasonal and annual consumption and the associated perchlorate exposures for hunters and their families consuming game from Beaumont Site 1. Exposures were higher when all game was consumed within hunting seasons (seasonal exposure) than when the same meals were consumed over a longer period of time. Seasonal exposures for females and males respectively were: Mourning Dove September season, 3.98E-7 and 1.35E-6 mg/kg-day; Mourning Dove November/December season, 1.30E-7 and 4.51E-7 mg/kg-day; California Quail, 6.81E-8 and 1.13E-7 mg/kg-day; jack rabbit, 2.75E-7 and 1.28E-6; and cottontail rabbit, 3.96E-8 and 1.84E-7. And male exposures were greater than female exposures due to a higher game consumption rate. These exposures were compared to a toxicity benchmark equivalent to a reference dose (7.4E-5 mg/kg-day assuming that perchlorate in wild game contributes 20% of exposure) based on OEHHA’s Public Health Goal for Perchlorate (OEHHA, 2004). The assessment showed that the health hazards from consuming these game species from this site are well below a level of human health concern.
- Perchlorate