"In kids, the total dosage effect tends to be greater," Vorhees said. "I actually think there are people that get these high exposures."
Banned bromine returns
Based on data from the early studies, the FDA yanked brominated vegetable oil from its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list for flavor additives in 1970, said Douglas Karas, a spokesman for the FDA. BVO bounced back after studies from an industry group from 1971 to 1974 demonstrated a level of safety.
The Flavor Extract Manufacturers’ Association petitioned the FDA to get BVO back in fruit-flavored beverages, this time as a stabilizer, which is its role today. After evaluating the petition and other data, the FDA in 1977 approved the interim use of BVO at 15 ppm in fruit-flavored beverages, pending the outcome of additional studies.
"This decision was based on the highest No Observed Effect Levels from the existing safety studies and the estimated daily intake," Karas said in an email. "Although there were doses that showed adverse effects in the animal studies, there also were lower doses in which there were no adverse effects observed."
As a condition of interim approval, the industry group submitted additional safety studies to the FDA.
The FDA determined that a two-year feeding study in pigs established a no-effect level of 1,200 ppm. A two-year feeding study in beagle dogs also was conducted. Although there were concerns about quality control with that particular study, Karas said, no cardiovascular effects were observed in the dogs fed BVO at levels as high as 3,600 ppm for two years. After an independent audit of the data to address the quality concerns, the FDA decided to allow BVO in fruit-flavored beverages.
"The findings from these studies supported the safety of BVO in beverages at a level of 15 ppm in fruit-flavored beverages," Karas said. "Its use as a flame retardant does not preclude its use as a food ingredient so long as the food use is safe."
More than 30 years later, brominated vegetable oil's approval status is still listed as interim. Changing the status would be costly and "is not a public health priority for the agency at this time," Karas said.
Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was involved with the petition to remove BVO from the "safe" list in 1970. He said it's time for the FDA to make a decision, one way or the other.
"Is it harmful at the amounts consumed? Probably not," Jacobson said. "But it would be nice if the FDA did a thorough review of the literature and finalized an approval or a ban."
A safer switch?
BVO has seeped into Europe, mostly forbidden territory for this additive, according to an analysis of imported sodas presented at an international symposium on halogenated persistent organic pollutants in 2010.
"We found products with no label although BVO was present in the soda," said Vetter, lead author of the study.
He said soda makers in North America could easily replace BVO with alternatives such as hydrocolloids – chemicals that are used in many sodas in Europe. Natural hydrocolloids form small droplets on water into which non-water soluble compounds can be stored and stabilized for as long as necessary. They are almost exclusively natural products, Vetter said.
Barnes, of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, said that BVO and hydrocolloids "do not provide the same functionality and cannot be substituted for one another."
Vetter disagreed, saying that countries in Europe and elsewhere have used natural hydrocolloids for decades in the soda brands that rely on BVO in North America.
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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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