The Standard – August 2018

Chlorate is a contaminant found in water and food products treated with chlorinated disinfectants. Chlorate has been identified as potentially harmful to human health, especially within the thyroid system, and with greatest concern for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have set guidelines for chlorate levels in food and drinking water. CIL now offers a complete set of related food/water contaminant standards that includes perchloric acid, potassium chlorate, and potassium bromate.

Cyanotoxins are toxic bioactive compounds that are released from planktonic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) under certain conditions.¹ This can result in harmful algal blooms (HABs) that contaminate water systems and bioaccumulate in aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. When algal blooms are detected, further analytical testing must be performed to determine the presence and amount of cyanotoxins, which can have enormous impacts on municipal drinking water, and the use of public recreational waters.

As more weeds become resistant to glyphosate, herbicide manufacturers have turned to producing alternate herbicides such as dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid). Dicamba targets broadleaf weeds and functions by supplementing the plant growth rate to a point where the plant outgrows the nutrient supply and dies. Dicamba-resistant crops of cotton, soybeans, and other broadleaf plants have been produced to allow for the use of the herbicide without impacting the integrity of the crop. With increased use of dicamba, concern has been raised about the negative impact on non-resistant crops that are affected by dicamba that has drifted from spray zones. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has implemented protocols for the 2018 growing season to minimize spray-drift occurrence and has outlined proper application procedures for dicamba. Additional information regarding these requirements can be accessed here.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been among the most studied classes of chemical pollutants in recent years. With their properties of persistence, bioaccumulation, and long-range transport, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and its related salts were added to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants at the 4th conference of the parties in 2009.¹ Recently, the related compounds perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) have been proposed to be listed under the Convention.

As endocrine-disrupting activity resulting from phthalate exposure gains awareness, regulators are increasing the pressure put on manufacturers to limit usage. A select few phthalates have been banned in the US in children’s products and toys, and advocacy groups are pushing for broader restrictions on phthalates in all consumer goods.¹ Researchers have focused on testing for phthalate metabolites, as well as phthalate-replacement compounds that are being utilized in the midst of the bans and pressure from regulatory groups.