Europeans' intake of chlorate unlikely to exceed recommended safe level: EFSA

The total intake of chlorate on a single day even at the highest estimated levels is unlikely to exceed the recommended safe level for consumers in Europe of all ages, said the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in a recent press release.

EFSA said this in its scientific opinion on the chronic and acute public health risks from dietary exposure to chlorate, including drinking water.

It has set a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 3 micrograms per kg (µg/kg) of body weight per day for long-term exposure to chlorate in food.

EFSA also set a recommended safe intake level for a daily intake (also called "acute reference dose") of chlorate of 36 µg/kg of body weight per day. The highest estimates of acute dietary exposure for all age groups were below this safe intake.

Long-term exposure to chlorate in food, particularly in drinking water, is a potential health concern for children, especially those with mild or moderate iodine deficiency, said EFSA.

Drinking water is the main source of chlorate in the diet, possibly contributing up to 60 percent of chronic chlorate exposure for infants.

Moreover, the most affected food groups are fruit and vegetables, among which frozen varieties often account for the highest levels of chlorate, noted EFSA.

EFSA emphasized that there were several limitations in the available data for this work, at least partly due to the limited timeframe allowed for the assessment. Consequently, EFSA's experts concluded that the impact of these scientific uncertainties on the risk assessment is large. Endit