Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) in food: ingestion safety
Low risk(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.
What is sodium hexametaphosphate (shmp / calgon / graham's salt / e452i)?
The IUPAC name is potassium 5-formyl-2-methoxyphenolate.
- IUPAC name
- potassium 5-formyl-2-methoxyphenolate
- CAS number
- 10124-56-8
- Molecular formula
- C8H7KO3
- Molecular weight
- 190.24 g/mol
- SMILES
- COC1=C(C=C(C=C1)C=O)[O-].[K+]
- PubChem CID
- 23680567
Risk for people
Low riskSodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.
Regulatory consensus
3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i). The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA | — | GRAS food additive (E452i) | |
| EU | — | E452i — approved food additive; ADI 70 mg/kg/day (as P) for total phosphate additives | |
| EPA | — | Phosphate discharge regulations apply |
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 sodium hexametaphosphate (shmp / calgon / graham's salt / e452i)
- Food Processing — processed cheese (emulsifier), seafood (moisture retention), evaporated milk
- Oral Care — tartar-control toothpaste (Crest Pro-Health), mouthwash
- Water Treatment — municipal water corrosion control, water softening (original Calgon)
- Industrial — ceramic deflocculant, paper manufacturing, textile processing
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i):
-
Sodium citrate
Trade-offs: Zeolite A and sodium citrate replace phosphate builders in detergents; comparable cleaning performance at moderate hardness; less effective in very hard water; eliminates eutrophication contribution; widely adopted post-phosphate bans (EU 2013, many US states).
-
Tetrasodium pyrophosphate
Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
Frequently asked questions
What products contain sodium hexametaphosphate (shmp / calgon / graham's salt / e452i)?
Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) appears in: processed cheese (emulsifier) (food processing); seafood (moisture retention) (food processing); tartar-control toothpaste (Crest Pro-Health) (oral care); mouthwash (oral care); municipal water corrosion control (water treatment).
Why do regulators disagree about sodium hexametaphosphate (shmp / calgon / graham's salt / e452i)?
Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) has been classified by 3 agencies including FDA, EU, EPA, with differing conclusions. 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. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.
See Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP / Calgon / Graham's salt / E452i) in the food app
Look up products containing sodium hexametaphosphate (shmp / calgon / graham's salt / e452i), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in food View raw API dataSources (1)
- — expert_curation
Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →