The most important fact about the Consumer Reports study is the statement the author makes that “none of the foods tested had dangerous levels of perchlorate.” That is largely because no “dangerous” level of perchlorate has ever been identified in more than 70 years of research.
Unfortunately, that is where the real value of the report ends, as claims that perchlorate has been linked to thyroid problems, birth defects, brain development, or other serious health problems are simply inaccurate – no published research exists to support them.
At issue is how perchlorate works in the body. In short, it competes with iodine for absorption by the thyroid gland, which uses iodine to make hormones. This competition, called Iodide Uptake Inhibition (IUI) has long been recognized as a non-adverse effect, and in fact happens in the body daily as a result of numerous factors. Diet is certainly one of these factors, but of all of the compounds that contribute to IUI, including nitrate and thiocyanates, perchlorate’s contribution to total IUI is less than 2 percent.
It is true that the presence of perchlorate in food has been known for decades. As far back as 2004, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated the estimated average exposure to perchlorate in food is well below the perchlorate Reference Dose suggested by the National Academy of Science in its comprehensive perchlorate report, “Health implications of Perchlorate Ingestion. (A “Reference Dose” is the amount of exposure likely to be without any risk of adverse effect over a lifetime). FDA has also developed a comprehensive Q&A On perchlorate and food on its website.
Going even further, In 2017, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied a petition to ban the use of perchlorate in food packaging. Consistent with 60 years of research, FDA’s repose to the petition cited numerous sources and a thorough rationale for why the petition failed to demonstrate that the amount of perchlorate in food packaging poses any public health risk for infants.
Finally, the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency determined in 2020 that perchlorate did not merit additional nationwide regulation, due to the lack of adverse effects and the fact that perchlorate is not present at levels high enough to cause a public health concern. That determination was subsequently upheld by the Biden Administration after thorough review.
Additional background: Seven Facts Every Journalist Covering Perchlorate Should Know
- EPA’s modeling demonstrates that environmental levels of perchlorate have essentially no effects on either the typical U.S. consumer or the most sensitive subpopulations. EPA has conducted more extensive modeling on perchlorate than almost any other constituent. Claims that perchlorate has been linked to thyroid problems, birth defects or other serious health problems are simply inaccurate – no published research exists to support them. More…
- EPA’s traditional method of evaluating Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) contaminants—calculation of a Health Reference Level (HRL)—demonstrates there is very little exposure to perchlorate above the HRL and thus very little potential risk.
- The scientific database on perchlorate dates back to its use as a medicine, involving doses thousands of times higher than amounts in the environment today. After reviewing this wealth of research, the findings of the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science (NAS) made clear that the levels of perchlorate that could pose a risk to public health are much larger than currently found in any known public drinking water system.
- A comparison of perchlorate and other SDWA contaminants shows that a decision to withdraw the perchlorate determination is consistent with past EPA decisions not to regulate.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have already concluded that perchlorate doses greater than those found in drinking water don’t warrant regulation.
- The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) determined in 2005 that levels of perchlorate below 24.5 parts per billion (ppb) have no measurable effect on human health. In the areas where perchlorate has been detected, recent data show that essentially all concentrations are less than 10 ppb. It is unlikely anyone in the U.S. is being exposed to perchlorate levels above the NAS’ No Observed Effect Level, and current studies show that the amounts of perchlorate in the environment are declining. (One ppb is roughly equal to a half teaspoon of material diluted in an Olympic-sized pool)
- The Safe Drinking Water Act requires three key criteria be met before a compound can be regulated:
(1) it may have an adverse effect on human health, (2) it occurs in public drinking water systems at a frequency and at levels of public health concern, and (3) federal regulation of the substance presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction. Perchlorate meets none of these criteria.
Please visit www.perchlorateinfo.org for factual information on perchlorate, or contact Bill Romanelli at 916-212-1446.
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The Perchlorate Information Bureau is supported by Aerojet Rocketdyne, American Pacific Corporation, and Lockheed Martin. These companies have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to increase scientific and medical understanding of perchlorate’s risk to human health.