Chlorate: what it is and how dangerous it is

You have probably heard the term chlorate in connection with food and asked yourself: is that also in my food? We will now explain to you what this is all about and how dangerous the substance really is.

Chlorate in food - dangerous or not?

Chlorate is the salt of chloric acid. You can hardly imagine that, unless you have paid close attention in chemistry classes at school or have taken a field of study. Acid salts are formed when an acid reacts with metals, among other things, especially through oxidation. The best known acid salt is sodium chloride, which is our table salt. This is the salt of hydrochloric acid.

What is extremely dangerous for us in one form is completely harmless in another and can even be found in everyday use. But is that also the case with chlorates?

• Since chlorates are very volatile compounds, i.e. those that react quickly chemically, they only occur very rarely in nature.
• Chlorates are generally toxic and easily flammable compounds. They used to be used as weed killers, which often put a lot of strain on food. However, this is now prohibited in the EU.
• Unfortunately, chlorates still sometimes make it into our food. This often happens because water disinfected with chlorine compounds for washing e.g. B. Vegetables are used. When mixing water with these compounds, chlorates can be formed.
• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has increasingly been able to detect chlorates, especially in fruit juices, salads and herbs as well as frozen vegetables. These products came from different countries, including Germany. However, up to 0.01 mg of chlorate per kg of food is legal.
• Minimal amounts of chlorates can also be found in drinking water. According to German law, this is also permitted up to 0.7 mg per liter.

The dangers and sensible prevention

Now you are certainly worried because chlorates have been detected in food and drinking water. Fortunately, the quantities were so small that there was no danger to humans. However, chlorates are generally not entirely harmless and there are a few things to consider. If you want to know exactly what's in your drinking water, you can buy cheap tests for it. These show a whole range of substances that are in the water and how much of it is in order.

But what exactly happens in the body if you take in too much chlorate? And what can you do to avoid taking in too much chlorate?

• Ingesting too much chlorate can weaken your body's iodine intake. However, this problem is reversible and if you are not poisoning yourself severely, the body will take care of it. In very severe cases, red blood cells can be damaged. But this only happens if you work directly with chlorates. An excessive amount of the substance is over 0.036 mg per kg body weight.
• In order to achieve this value, you have to exert yourself or poison, as the above permitted limit values ​​show. A normal diet usually does not do this.
• Risk groups for high chlorate intake are people with thyroid problems, people with iodine deficiency, newborns and children.
• Therefore: Only young people with iodine deficiency who come into contact with substances that contain chlorate in particular are really at risk. That would mean that e.g. B. a child with iodine deficiency would have to come into regular contact with chlorine-containing disinfectants, which is an extremely unlikely case. So you see: there is really no need to worry.
• Eating a balanced diet is enough to not be afraid of chlorates. It is also best to use fresh organic products, as they have to be produced without pesticides and the chlorate load is lowest here.