On May 26, 2015 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re-published their Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of perchlorate in food, in particular fruits and vegetables. The original scientific opinion was published in October 2014 and has been revised because of a technical error. EFSA re-assessed dietary exposure to perchlorate using corrected data on perchlorate levels in food and taking into account more recently available occurrence data. This re-assessment did not affect EFSA’s overall conclusions: A tolerable daily intake (TDI) was established at 0.3 µg/kg bodyweight (bw)/day, based on the inhibition of thyroid iodine uptake in healthy adults. EFSA judges a single exposure to perchlorate at levels found in food and water unlikely to cause adverse effects on human health. However, chronic dietary exposure to perchlorate is of potential concern. In particular younger age groups of the population with mild to moderate iodine deficiency and infants breast-fed by iodine-deficient mothers may be at elevated risk. The original version of the scientific opinion has been removed from EFSA’s website. However, it is available on request, along with a version showing all the changes made.
Perchlorate is used e.g. in fertilizers and medicinal applications. Different perchlorate salts are authorized as indirect food additives and as additives for plastic FCMs in the U.S. and the EU, respectively. Perchlorate is an endocrine disruptor known to affect iodine uptake into the thyroid gland.
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EFSA (May 26, 2015). “Perchlorate in fruit and vegetables opinion re-published.”
EFSA (May 26, 2015). “Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of perchlorate in food, in particular fruits and vegetables.”
