Perchlorate Identification in Fertilizers

Abstract

Perchlorate has contaminated groundwater, drinking water, and soils at several locations in the United States. The primary source of contamination at sites that have been investigated to date seems to be from industrial and military operations that use perchlorate as an oxidizing agent. However, recent examination of several fertilizers and fertilizer components showed that perchlorate is present at levels up to 0.84 wt %. These preliminary results suggest that fertilizers could be a source for perchlorate accumulation in the food chain.