Perchlorate in Baby Food: How Did It Get There?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the presence of perchlorate in baby food, exploring how it may have contaminated food products, particularly those containing cow's milk. Participants reference various sources and raise questions about the origins and implications of this contamination.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the specific types of perchlorates and suggests a connection to ammonium perchlorate used in rocket fuel.
  • Another participant humorously questions the safety of various contaminants, including perchlorate, in food products.
  • A participant notes that baby food containing cow's milk had the highest levels of perchlorate contamination and discusses the broader issue of perchlorate found in drinking water supplies, particularly in California.
  • It is mentioned that perchlorate can accumulate in crops irrigated with contaminated water, which may then enter the food chain through milk from cows fed on these crops.
  • One participant states that perchlorates are not considered highly dangerous or toxic in solution, highlighting the stability of the perchlorate ion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the safety and implications of perchlorate contamination, with no consensus reached regarding its dangers or the mechanisms of contamination.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes references to specific studies and articles, but does not resolve the underlying assumptions about the health effects of perchlorate or the exact pathways of contamination.

Woody101
I just read the following article on MSN News http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30028134/wid/11915773?GT1=31036 and I was wondering what kind of perchlorates? The only perchlorate rocket fuel I am famaliar with is ammonium perchlorate used in the solid fuel boosters on the Space Shuttle. That was the same stuff that gave Pepcon in Henderson, NV a new address with 17 different zip codes back in the late 80s. Anybody got any idea of how it could get into baby food?
 
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Interesting article. Here is another one: http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.htm

Which tastes better; antifreeze, lead, or rocket fuel?
 
The story reported that the baby food that contained cow's milk had the highest contamination levels. Perchlorate has been found in 350 water supplies in California including the Colorado River.

Perchlorate contaminates more than 350 drinking water sources in California alone. Nationally, perchlorate contamination of drinking water has been confirmed by testing in 22 states. Among contaminated sources is the Colorado River, which not only provides drinking water for Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas and other cities, but also irrigates 1.4 million acres of farmland in California and Arizona. Many crop and feed plants, including lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and alfalfa, concentrate perchlorate in their tissues when grown with contaminated water. This perchlorate, in turn, can be passed along in cows' (or human's) milk.

http://www.ewg.org/reports/rocketmilk
 
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http://www.enzian.org/images/brouhaha/2008/Rocket_Baby.jpg
 
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Perchlorates aren't terribly dangerous or toxic in solution. The perchlorate ion (solvated) is unusually stable, which is related to why perchlorate salts are so very unstable.