Surveillance of Perchlorate Level in Leafy Vegetables and Bottled Water

Perchlorate (ClO(4)(-)) is both a naturally occurring and artificial compound, and it inhibits iodide uptake into the thyroid gland and disturbs thyroid function. It has been detected in many foods in the United States. In order to investigate perchlorate contamination in foods in Japan, perchlorate level in 82 leafy vegetable samples and 20 bottled mineral water samples was measured using a procedure based on the FDA's procedure, employing IC-MS/MS with (18)O(4)-labeled perchlorate as an internal standard. Among 82 leafy vegetable samples tested, perchlorate levels were under the LOQ (0.3 ng/g) in 3 samples and ranged from 0.3 ng/g to 29.7 ng/g in 79 samples. In 20 bottled water samples, perchlorate was under the LOQ (0.1 ng/mL) in 14 samples and ranged from 0.14 ng/mL to 0.35 ng/mL in 6 samples.