FDA Finds Perchlorate in Foodstuffs

FDA has found perchlorate in milk and lettuce in 15 states across the U.S. The results of a study that checked lettuce, bottled water, and milk for perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, were posted without notice on FDA's website in late November but later publicized by the activist organization Environmental Working Group. The FDA study found perchlorate in all but three of 104 samples of milk sold in Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, with an average value of nearly 6 parts per billion. For lettuce from Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, and Texas, 116 of 128 samples contained perchlorate, with an average of about 12 ppb. Only two of 52 samples of bottled water from 12 states had measurable perchlorate, both at less than 1 ppb. The chemical can interfere with thyroid function, but FDA warns that more information is needed to determine whether levels of perchlorate in food pose a risk. FDA is not recommending that consumers alter their diets or the eating habits of their children to avoid exposure to perchlorate.