Calls mount for FDA to reevaluate carcinogenic chemicals used as food additives
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under mounting pressure to review its approvals for four carcinogenic chemicals extensively employed as food additives and color additives. Several influential consumer advocacy groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Center for Environmental Health, and Environmental Working Group (EWG), have jointly submitted two petitions urging the FDA to reconsider its approvals for benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), methylene chloride, and ethylene dichloride.
These chemicals are commonly used as solvents in various food-related processes, such as decaffeinated coffee, spice extracts, ink for produce marking, diluents in pesticides, hops extracts, and water used to wash sugar beets.
The petitions emphasize that the FDA has allowed the use of these carcinogens in food additives despite clear legal provisions stating that substances causing cancer in humans or animals cannot be considered safe for use in food. According to the consumer advocacy groups, decades ago, these chemicals were found to induce cancer in studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute and the National Toxicology Program.
Independent testing conducted by the Clean Label Project in 2020 and 2022 detected methylene chloride in several popular brands of decaffeinated coffee, highlighting the need for increased scrutiny and regulation.
The petitioners argue that these additives are known or anticipated to cause multiple forms of cancer, including liver cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Moreover, they have been linked to other health effects, such as fetal cardiac malformations, decreased blood cell counts, kidney damage, and liver harm.
In contrast to the actions taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2023 to tackle the risks associated with trichloroethylene and methylene chloride, proposing their elimination from uses regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the FDA retains its authority over food-related applications under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This has prompted the recent petitions, highlighting the growing concern among consumer advocacy groups regarding the potential health risks associated with these chemicals.
Now, the FDA is presented with the task of reassessing its stance on these additives and evaluating whether the risks they pose to public health justify a reconsideration of their approvals as food and color additives.
The outcome of this evaluation carries substantial implications for food safety standards, regulations, and the safeguarding of consumers across the United States.
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