The government doesn't want you to panic because the risk is "hard to assess," but...

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that 15 brands of powdered infant formula are contaminated with perchlorate, a rocket fuel component detected in drinking water in 28 states and territories. (Environmental Working Group)

Why shouldn't that worry parents? Because, "the government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts perchlorate's effects (Associated Press)." But, somebody must be worried about the effects on infant health because "[government] researchers would not disclose the brands of formula they studied (AP)." Haven't we been here before?

This story is just now being reported by for-profit news media although the CDC published its findings a month ago in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. We might still be in the dark were it not for the alert folks at the Environmental Working Group who point out that "[s]tudies have established that the chemical is a potent thyroid toxin that may interfere with fetal and infant brain development." As frightening as it may be to hear that news, government officials do not want you to worry. That's why they made these reassuring statements to the AP:

"No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems."
"[T]he extent of the risk is hard to assess."
"This wasn't a study of health effects."
"Iodine...counteracts perchlorate's effects."

But, the Environmental Working Group IS worried after taking a hard look at the government's claims... for example, that iodine claim.

[T]he CDC scientists also noted that FDA requires infant formula to be supplemented with iodine, a nutrient that can counteract the negative effects of perchlorate on the thyroid gland. The range of required iodine concentrations in formula is between 5 and 75 micrograms per 100 kcal of energy. Iodine supplements at higher levels may offer some protection from the toxic effects of perchlorate. But the CDC scientists estimated that those brands that contain only the minimum iodine concentration of 5 micrograms would leave infants iodine-deficient and thus more vulnerable to the toxic effects of perchlorate. (Environmental Working Group)

It's noteworthy, too, that the unidentified powdered formula was derived from cow's milk. That should have triggered an FDA investigation to determine if fresh cow's milk also contains perchlorate. No word, though, on whether such an investigation was conducted.
What shocked me most about this story was the government's issuance of two statements that are, on their faces, contradictory. First, the government tells us that perchlorate in the formula could exceed limits "the safe dose" for adult consumption (per an EPA advisory). This is a huge concern because infants typically are affected by chemicals in much, much smaller quantities than adults. Then, the government alleges that the "risk is hard to assess." So, the existence of an EPA health advisory for perchlorate exposure has no bearing on health risk?

The government also tried to avoid acknowledging the danger by saying the risk depends on the amount of formula consumed. But, many infants get most, if not all, of their daily nutrition from formula. That, then, is the worst-case scenario that should be the basis for food safety officials to take protective actions; for example, notifying the public and requesting recalls. That is the standard policy that food safety agencies claimed to follow during my 13 years of working with officials at the FDA and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service on issues of chemical contamination. But, in this case, officials clearly are ignoring a policy they know is vital to protecting public health and safety.

Instead, government agencies resort to torturing logic so as to arrive at a pre-determined result that protects their chief constitutents, the big manufacturers and distributors of food products. Indeed, the Bush administration sought to exempt perchlorate in drinking water from federal regulation despite known health risks. After scientists not gagged by the government expressed outrage, the EPA subsequently issued the health advisory quoted below.

Because the fetus depends on an adequate supply of maternal thyroid hormone for its central nervous system development during the first trimester of pregnancy, iodide uptake inhibition from perchlorate exposure has been identified as a concern in connection with increasing the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in fetuses of high-risk mothers (NRC, 2005). (Quoted from EPA Interim Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perchlorate)

Those currently in charge of food safety, at both the FDA and FSIS, have demonstrated that they should not be trusted any longer with protection of the food supply. Also, the many problems with coordination of food safety responsibilities demonstrate that a single food safety agency is vital to improving the safety of food produced and sold in this country. It is our responsibility, as consumers, to make this clear to our Congressional representatives and to the Obama administration.

In its report on the problem, the Environmental Working Group urges the public to take additional actions, including "calling your infant formula company" to "ask a spokesperson about perchlorate contamination in the company’s product." Hopefully, the government's response will not be, as in the melamine contamination incident, the issuance of a new regulation giving manufacturers permission to sell formula contaminated with the chemical.