Toxic Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Food Supply, Raising Health Concerns

A key ingredient in rocket fuel, linked to serious health problems, called perchlorate has somehow made it into the food we eat. Consumer Reports conducted tests that revealed perchlorate—also used in missiles, explosives, airbags, and plastics—is widespread in fast food and grocery store items. Most alarmingly, they found the highest levels in foods popular with babies and children.

The researchers inspected 196 samples that came from 63 different common products from supermarkets and 10 fast food items. The items were chosen because previous scientific research suggests these foods may contain perchlorate. The type of packaging each food came in was also analyzed.

Consumer Reports found that roughly 67% of the samples had “measurable levels” of perchlorate, ranging from just over 2 parts per billion to 79 ppb. In general, baby/kid food, fast food, and fresh fruits and vegetables had the highest levels, with children’s foods averaging the highest average level, 19.4 ppb.

When looking at packaging types, foods in plastic containers had the highest levels (averaging nearly 54 ppb), followed by foods in plastic wrap and paperboard.

Perchlorate is a chemical compound composed of chlorine and oxygen atoms. It occurs both naturally and is produced synthetically. It is found naturally in arid regions and manufactured for various industrial uses and is primarily used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, fireworks, and explosives. Also employed in food packaging to prevent static electricity.

But perchlorate also has an environmental impact as it is highly soluble in water and can contaminate groundwater and soil. There are also related health concerns as it interferes with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland, affecting thyroid hormone production. Particularly harmful to fetuses, infants, children, and pregnant women.

Consumer Reports scientists have long been concerned about the potential health risks of perchlorate. Its new tests were prompted in part by the significant gap in our understanding of perchlorate’s prevalence in the food supply, a gap largely due to the lack of recent regulatory action. As Tunde Akinleye, the CR chemist overseeing our perchlorate testing, points out, the FDA’s last comprehensive evaluation of perchlorate in food was over a decade ago.

In 2005, the EPA set a daily perchlorate exposure limit of 0.7 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, deemed “safe.” However, many food safety experts argue that this level is insufficiently protective and should be substantially reduced. The European Food Safety Authority is even more cautious, setting a tolerable daily intake at less than half the EPA’s standard, at 0.3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.

“Feeding your children a wide variety of healthy foods is the best way to make sure they get the nutrients they need and to minimize the potentially harmful effects of contaminants in food and water,” said James Rogers, Consumer Report’s director of product safety.