Perchlorate in Baby Formula Fact Sheet

Purpose

This fact sheet answers questions about CDC’s recent study of perchlorate in infant formula published in The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. It explains what the study looked at, what it found, and what CDC’s next steps will be. The fact sheet also reviews CDC’s established recommendation about how to best feed infants. This study does not change those existing recommendations.

Background

Perchlorate is a chemical that occurs naturally in the environment and is also used in explosives, fireworks, road flares, and rocket propellant.

Previous CDC studies have shown that nearly everyone in the U.S. is exposed regularly to low levels of perchlorate. People are exposed through eating food, and drinking milk and water that contain perchlorate. Breast tissue concentrates perchlorate, causing milk products to have higher levels of the chemical than some other food products.

High levels of perchlorate can affect the thyroid gland, causing changes in how our organs function, especially in fetuses and young children. High levels can be defined as thousands of times greater than those seen in this study, such as levels that were seen in the past when perchlorate was used for medical treatment. Whether there may be health effects of low-level exposures is unknown.

What did the study look at?

This study was intended to increase understanding of how infants may be exposed to perchlorate; it did not examine the potential health effects of perchlorate exposure.

CDC tested to see whether perchlorate could be measured in commercially available powdered infant formulas, including cow’s milk-based formulas with and without lactose, soy-based formulas, and elemental formulas, which are typically made with synthetic amino acids.

CDC researchers then used those findings, along with estimates of baby weight at different ages and estimates of the amount of formula typically consumed, to determine several hypothetical exposure situations involving formula mixed with drinking water containing perchlorate.

Finally, for each hypothetical situation CDC calculated how much perchlorate would need to be in water to cause the mixed formula to exceed the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reference dose, a level set to estimate the daily exposure levels over a lifetime that would cause no ill effects. It is not known whether exceeding the reference dose might have ill effects.

What did the study find?

All of the powdered infant formulas tested contained perchlorate. Cow’s milk-based formula with lactose had a significantly higher concentration of perchlorate than the other types.

The hypothetical dosing situations showed that if perchlorate-free water is used, most infants would never come into contact with levels of the chemical higher than the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reference dose. Exceptions would depend on the baby’s weight, the type of formula, and the amount of perchlorate in the water mixed with the formula.

Does this study have limitations?

Many foods used for infant feeding are likely to contain trace amounts of perchlorate, at levels below those shown to be harmful. This small study assessed whether perchlorate could be measured in a diverse set of formula products and adds to our knowledge of how infants could be exposed to perchlorate. However, because it tested small numbers of samples and made use of generally conservative hypothetical exposure scenarios, the findings cannot be generalized to entire brands or types of formula. The study also did not assess potential health effects of exposure. For all of these reasons, this study does not change CDC’s existing recommendations for infant feeding.

What other studies might be needed?

The study identifies a potential source of exposure of infants to perchlorate and raises questions of how much perchlorate might be absorbed by infants drinking formula. CDC will next undertake research to help answer that question by measuring the levels of perchlorate in infants’ urine.

Once we understand how much perchlorate is absorbed into infants’ bodies, future studies can explore the potential health effects of exposure to low levels of perchlorate over time.

What are CDC’s recommendations for feeding infants?

CDC continues to recommend breastfeeding as optimal for both mothers and babies. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of infections and various chronic diseases. Mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type II diabetes.

Parents who do use infant formula should be aware that the U. S. Food and Drug Administration requires that all baby formulas include iodine, which may offset any potential effects of perchlorate in the formula.

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