Spoon Scout

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.

How much of a toddler's daily limit one serving holds (a cup of a drink, 100 g of a food, a teaspoon of a spice), at FDA's average level
toddler's daily limitCollards, fresh/frozen, boiled: one serving is 1.1× of a toddler's daily limitCollards, fresh/frozen, boiled1.1×Bologna (beef/pork): one serving is 1.1× of a toddler's daily limitBologna (beef/pork)1.1×Cucumber, peeled, raw: one serving is 56% of a toddler's daily limitCucumber, peeled, raw56%Tomato, raw: one serving is 55% of a toddler's daily limitTomato, raw55%Salami, luncheon-meat type (not hard): one serving is 42% of a toddler's daily limitSalami, luncheon-meat type (not hard)42%Pepper, sweet, green, raw: one serving is 41% of a toddler's daily limitPepper, sweet, green, raw41%Shrimp, boiled: one serving is 34% of a toddler's daily limitShrimp, boiled34%Luncheon meat (chicken/turkey): one serving is 31% of a toddler's daily limitLuncheon meat (chicken/turkey)31%Summer squash, fresh/frozen, boiled: one serving is 31% of a toddler's daily limitSummer squash, fresh/frozen, boiled31%Watermelon, raw/frozen: one serving is 30% of a toddler's daily limitWatermelon, raw/frozen30%Ham, cured (not canned), baked: one serving is 29% of a toddler's daily limitHam, cured (not canned), baked29%Grapes (red/green), raw: one serving is 25% of a toddler's daily limitGrapes (red/green), raw25%
The numbers as a table
FoodAverageA toddler reaches the limit at
Collards, fresh/frozen, boiled 2008-2012, found in 19 of 20119 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 94 g (3.3 oz) a day
adult: about 440 g (16 oz)
Cucumber, peeled, raw 2008-2012, found in 18 of 2059.1 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 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 2044.4 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 290 g (10 oz) a day
adult: about 1.4 kg (3.1 lb)
Luncheon meat (chicken/turkey) 2008-2012, found in 19 of 2032.3 ppbabout 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 2032.2 ppbabout 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 - Prepared/Processed		30.2 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 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 ppbabout 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.

Water. Drinking water can be a larger source than food in some places. EPA required utilities to test for perchlorate in 2001-2005, and your water utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report lists what it measures.

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.