Brominated flame retardants lately are under intense scrutiny because research has shown that they are building up in people's bodies, including breast milk, around the world. Designed to slow the spread of flames, they are added to polystyrene foam cushions used in upholstered furniture and children's products, as well as plastics used in electronics. Research in animals as well as some human studies have found links to impaired neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.
BVO may not be in use today as a flame retardant in furniture foam, but patents in Europe — granted earlier this year to Dow Global Technologies—and in the United States —granted in 1967 to Koppers Inc.—keep that possibility alive.
"There are some concerns [about BVO] because people are worried that maybe it has the behavior, [and] potential health effects similar to brominated flame retardants," said Heather Stapleton, an environmental chemist at Duke University who specializes in studying brominated compounds.
Soda makers and industry groups say they are not concerned about the safety of brominated vegetable oil, saying their products meet all government standards.
"This is a safe ingredient approved by the FDA, which is used in some citrus-based beverages," said Christopher Gindlesperger of the American Beverage Association, which represents PepsiCo, maker of Mountain Dew. "Importantly, consumers can rest assured that our products are safe and our industry adheres to all government regulations."
Chris Barnes of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, makers of Squirt and other drinks that contain BVO, echoed that response.
"All ingredients in Dr. Pepper Snapple Group products meet FDA and other regulator requirements," Barnes said.
Dated data
Some experts are unconvinced, saying that the FDA standards are based on decades-old data.
"Compounds like these that are in widespread use probably should be reexamined periodically with newer technologies to ensure that there aren't effects that would have been missed by prior methods," said Charles Vorhees, a toxicologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, who studied BVO's neurological effects in the early 1980s. "I think BVO is the kind of compound that probably warrants some reexamination."
Toxicity testing has changed dramatically in the past few decades. Multiple generations of animals now can be tested for neurodevelopmental, hormonal and reproductive changes that weren't imagined in the 1970s and early 1980s.
"I am no toxicologist, but I think that the toxic evaluation of chemicals has been improved since then," Vetter added.
In 1970, scientists in England found that rats on a six-week diet containing 0.8 percent brominated maize oil had stockpiles of bromine in their fat tissue. The bromine stayed there even after the rats returned to a control diet for two weeks.
Around the same time, a study confirmed that bromine was building up in humans. Researchers measured the serum levels of people in the United Kingdom—where BVO was in use—and in their counterparts in the Netherlands and Germany, where BVO was not used.
"During this time UK citizens had higher bromine serum levels compared to the inhabitants of Germany and the Netherlands," Vetter said. The largest amounts of lipid-bound bromine were found in tissues from children in the UK, according to the study.
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10 Comments
Add CommentI know that it wasn't a comprehensive list of soda's, however, I also know that I get a headache whenever I drink the soda in question. I don't know that there is a connection, but still . . .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe whole-heartedly that this is truly a hidden issue that needs a strong review.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSoda-pop in general is dangerous in only decently large quantities. My aunt had all of her body fat cut out to remove cancer that was directly tied (by her doctors) to drinking 2 2L diet cokes a day.
I personally stopped using styrofoam plates and other plastics in microwaves because of the leaching chemicals as they degrade in use. I even have banned the use of certain types of plastic biodegradeable cups like the ones that 7-Eleven uses. You can TASTE the cup degrading and modifying the flavor of your drink in only minutes! For that test I recommend either Pepsi or Coke as they, for me, have to most effect as noted.
Conscientiously responsible use of all of these chemicals would, in my opinion, entail stating that they ARE PRESENT, AND what the over-consumption of them may cause.
My vote is to further the label system that we have for nutrition facts, and cover the extra chemicals/food colorings used in foods. For plastics and foams that people are exposed to regularly come up with something better. My stray Thought on this, maybe use wax covered styrofoam to prevent leached chemicals? Something more than nothing needs done.
All foods modified by humans is likely garbage.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI live in Australia, and reading from the label on my Sunkist bottle the ingredients are:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCarbonated water
Sugar
Food acid (330)
Flavour
Preservative (211)
Colour (110)
Packed by Schweppes Australia under licence from Sunkist Growers, Inc.
No mention of the presence of BVO.
The FDA may be OK when approving drugs, but its record with regard to nutrition is abysmal. BVO is just one of the many toxins they permit in prepared foods. They also over-pasteurize foods, including those with no justification at all for pasteurization, to reduce the nutrition of these foods. Big business is their guide, which leads to the reduction of healthfulness and nutrition to that of the levels of factory farms and commercial agriculture.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWith the high price of milk in New Zealand, it is cheaper to give children these fizzy drinks. Some families do.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile BVO may pose a very remote threat - and deserves a current study to determine whether it does - There are other threats, well-documented and orders of magnitude larger, resulting from both excessive soda consumption and excessive gaming, especially excessive war gaming.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConsumption of excess "empty" calories is a major factor in the current epidemic of obesity, with all its correlated health problems and lowered life expectancy. Excessive gaming, and the lack of physical activity which results, also contributes to obesity and a general lack of physical fitness. The lower consumption of healthful foods (displaced by sugar) can cause vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
Last, excessive war gaming causes a desensitivity to the negative side of mass murder and war. We are training our next generation of enthusiastic cannon fodder. This is good for the military-industrial complex, bad for the rest of the world.
Hey Null, Your sentiment or feelings are good and well intentioned, but the same people in charge of Labeling laws are the same pack of bureaucrats and officials who take your taxes for their salaries and all the other expenses of their office while they accept studies conducted or sponsored by the commercial interests trying to get a certain chemical or compound approved for use.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe real fix is two fold. First, people must be educated and educate them selves with out the pseudo science that fills alot of public discourse. Public schools are also a great source of usuless education and non-existence teaching of critical thinking skills. Second, the entire government structure that promises to protect us from our selves but instead simply grows ever more bloated on its own power and our wealth has to be radically reformed.
We, as human beings are responsible for what we eat and drink and do to our selves. Our culture, not our labeling laws, is broken. We eat, drink, and smoke unhealthy garbage, patting our selves on the backs for having an FDA to keep evil chemicals out of our diets. All the Alphabet agencies in this country can not replace common sense. I recommend that you never eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recommend as food.
I am not against accurate labeling of ingredients and do believe that companies who add toxins and other junk should be held responsible, but it will never, never happen in this current political environment and while people are content to let government grow unchecked with out limits. This is to a body politic what cancer is to the human body. Besides, the FDA is too busy raiding farms and business that deal in raw milk products.
The real solution is individual responsibility and the vast power of knowledge.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Hey Null, Your sentiment or feelings are good and well intentioned, but the same people in charge of Labeling laws are the same pack of bureaucrats and officials who take your taxes for their salaries and all the other expenses of their office while they accept studies conducted or sponsored by the commercial interests trying to get a certain chemical or compound approved for use.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe real fix is two fold. First, people must be educated and educate them selves with out the pseudo science that fills alot of public discourse. Public schools are also a great source of usuless education and non-existence teaching of critical thinking skills. Second, the entire government structure that promises to protect us from our selves but instead simply grows ever more bloated on its own power and our wealth has to be radically reformed.
We, as human beings are responsible for what we eat and drink and do to our selves. Our culture, not our labeling laws, is broken. We eat, drink, and smoke unhealthy garbage, patting our selves on the backs for having an FDA to keep evil chemicals out of our diets. All the Alphabet agencies in this country can not replace common sense. I recommend that you never eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recommend as food.
I am not against accurate labeling of ingredients and do believe that companies who add toxins and other junk should be held responsible, but it will never, never happen in this current political environment and while people are content to let government grow unchecked with out limits. This is to a body politic what cancer is to the human body. Besides, the FDA is too busy raiding farms and business that deal in raw milk products.
The real solution is individual responsibility and the vast power of knowledge.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
I see some comments from people outside of the U.S. that BVO is not listed in their Mt Dew. Since most other countries ban this ingredient, I do not see why they cannot do that here in the U.S. ? They have already banned it in Gatorade here, but not the soda(s). I understand how it binds the citrus in these drinks, but seems where it is banned, they found a better and safer way. Don't see why not do that here.
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