Check to see if your water is contaminated; buy a filter to remove perchlorate from your water supply.

Unless you're trying to launch your child to the moon, your probably don't want him drinking rocket fuel.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—A study just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, is showing up in baby formula.

THE DETAILS: Scientists at the CDC tested 15 brands of commercially available infant formula made from cow’s milk (both with and without lactose), soy, and synthetic amino acids. Perchlorate levels were highest (1.72 micrograms per liter) in the cow’s milk formula with lactose, followed by soy, lactose-free cow’s milk, and the amino-acid-based formulas. The researchers wouldn’t reveal the exact brands tested, but they did say that the two most contaminated brands of cow’s milk formula accounted for 87 percent of formula sales in 2000. Compounding the problem of perchlorate in formula is the fact that parents have to mix the powders with water; in previous studies, the Environmental Protection Agency has detected perchlorate in 4 percent of the water supplies in this country.

WHAT IT MEANS: Given the combination of formula and water tainted with perchlorate, infants could be exposed to dangerously high levels of the chemical. And breastfeeding may not be a fail-safe alternative: According to a 2005 study from the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Texas Tech detected levels of perchlorate in breast milk as high as 10.5 micrograms per liter.

Perchlorate is difficult to avoid even if you’re not eating infant formula, because it builds up in soil and persists in both water and air. It’s been found in both eggs and dairy products as well as fruits and vegetables. One way to cut down on exposure is to buy a reverse-osmosis water filter for your water supply; reverse-osmosis filters are the only filters certified to remove the chemical by the National Sanitation Foundation, the most reliable measure for water filters. However, these systems can be pricey, and they waste a good deal of water, so it’s important to know if perchlorate is a problem in your water supply before investing in one. You can find out by asking your municipal water supplier for a copy of its most recent water-quality report.