Perchlorate in food: ingestion safety

What is perchlorate?

The IUPAC name is perchlorate ion.

Also known as: perchlorate ion, Perchlorate ion(1-), Perchlorate(1-), ClO4-.

IUPAC name

perchlorate ion

CAS number

14797-73-0

Molecular formula

ClO4-

Molecular weight

99.45 g/mol

SMILES

[O-]Cl(=O)(=O)=O

PubChem CID

123351

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Perchlorate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter perchlorate

• drinking water
• groundwater
• rocket propellant areas
• airbag deployment areas
• fertilizer contamination

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Perchlorate:

• Biological ion exchange (perchlorate-selective resin)
  Trade-offs: Resin regeneration produces waste brine. Not effective below 4 μg/L.
  Relative cost: Capital-intensive; $0.50-2/1000 gal
• Bioremediation (perchlorate-reducing bacteria)
  Trade-offs: Requires electron donor addition. Slow process. Sensitive to co-contaminants.
  Relative cost: Lower than pump-and-treat

Frequently asked questions