A laboratory test of 22 types of lettuce purchased at Northern California supermarkets found that four were contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket-fuel ingredient that has polluted the Colorado River, the source of the water used to grow most of the nation's winter vegetables.

At the same time, a Bush administration proposal known as the Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative is making its way through the GOP-controlled Congress. Among other things, it would exempt military bases from laws requiring the cleanup of toxic substances associated with munitions and other explosives, which include perchlorate.

Read the rest at the L.A. Times.