Chemicals · Perchlorate
Perchlorate in food
A chemical used in rocket fuel and fireworks that also occurs naturally; it can keep the thyroid from taking up iodine. It reaches food through water, soil and fertilizer, and from some packaging and processing chemicals. FDA background
What's a lot?
EPA's daily reference dose: 0.7 µg per kg of body weight. That is about 10.5 µg a day for a 33-lb toddler and 49 µg for a 154-lb adult. EPA's estimate of a daily amount unlikely to cause harm over a lifetime, with safety margins built in. It includes a tenfold margin for babies of pregnant women low on iodine. Source
Collards, fresh/frozen, boiled (typically 119 ppb): a toddler reaches the EPA reference dose with about 88 g (3.1 oz) a day; an adult with about 410 g (14 oz).
Milk, whole, fluid (typically 9.23 ppb): a toddler reaches the EPA reference dose with about 1.1 L (4½ cups) a day; an adult with about 5.3 L (22 cups).
EFSA (EU)'s tolerable daily intake: 0.3 µg per kg a day. A December 2024 EFSA draft proposes raising it to 1.4. Source
ppb means micrograms per kilogram of food: 100 ppb is 100 µg in 2.2 lb of food. A daily limit is about long-run averages; one high day is not the same as eating it every day.
Foods highest in perchlorate
From FDA's Total Diet Study: everyday foods bought around the US and tested as eaten. FDA found perchlorate in 273 of the 282 foods it tested.
| Food | Average | A toddler reaches the limit at |
|---|---|---|
| Collards, fresh/frozen, boiled 2008-2012, found in 19 of 20 | 119 ppb | about 88 g (3.1 oz) a day adult: about 410 g (14 oz) |
| Bologna (beef/pork) 2008-2012, found in 15 of 20 Pepperoni, Salami & Cold Cuts · Other Deli · Meat/Poultry/Other Animals Prepared/Processed | 112 ppb | about 94 g (3.3 oz) a day adult: about 440 g (16 oz) |
| Cucumber, peeled, raw 2008-2012, found in 18 of 20 | 59.1 ppb | about 180 g (6.3 oz) a day adult: about 830 g (29 oz) |
| Tomato, raw 2008-2012, found in 20 of 20 Tomatoes · Vegetables · Fresh Fruit and Vegetables | 57.8 ppb | about 180 g (6.3 oz) a day adult: about 850 g (30 oz) |
| Salami, luncheon-meat type (not hard) 2008-2012, found in 14 of 20 | 44.4 ppb | about 240 g (8.5 oz) a day adult: about 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) |
| Pepper, sweet, green, raw 2008-2012, found in 18 of 20 Peppers | 42.9 ppb | about 240 g (8.5 oz) a day adult: about 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) |
| Shrimp, boiled 2008-2012, found in 18 of 20 Frozen Fish & Seafood · Fish & Seafood · Sushi | 36 ppb | about 290 g (10 oz) a day adult: about 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) |
| Luncheon meat (chicken/turkey) 2008-2012, found in 19 of 20 | 32.3 ppb | about 330 g (12 oz) a day adult: about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) |
| Summer squash, fresh/frozen, boiled 2008-2012, found in 20 of 20 | 32.2 ppb | about 330 g (12 oz) a day adult: about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) |
| Ham, cured (not canned), baked 2008-2012, found in 18 of 20 Salami / Cured Meat · Ham/Cold Meats · Pork - Unprepared/Unprocessed | 30.2 ppb | about 350 g (12 oz) a day adult: about 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) |
| Grapes (red/green), raw 2008-2012, found in 14 of 20 Pre-Packaged Fruit & Vegetables · Fruit | 25.8 ppb | about 410 g (14 oz) a day adult: about 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) |
| Luncheon meat (ham) 2008-2012, found in 18 of 20 Pepperoni, Salami & Cold Cuts · Other Deli · Meat/Poultry/Other Animals Prepared/Processed | 20.6 ppb | about 510 g (18 oz) a day adult: about 2.4 kg (5.3 lb) |
"Average" counts samples below the lab's limit as zero. A food high on this list matters only if you eat a lot of it, which is what the last column shows.
Foods with lab results
No named foods have published results for perchlorate in our sources yet.
Levels in people
CDC measures perchlorate in people across the US. Compare a test result with the US population.