The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed introducing a nationwide ban on the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) as an additive in food, CNN reported.
Already banned in Europe and Japan, the FDA’s proposal followed a ban introduced in California – the first US state to ban the additive – in October under the California Food Safety Act, the 3 November report said.
A vegetable oil that has bromine added to it, BVO is used in small amounts to keep the citrus flavouring from floating to the top in some soft drinks.
The additive has been linked to health hazards including nervous system damage, headaches, skin and mucous membrane irritation, fatigue, and loss of muscle coordination and memory, according to a 2 November report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) – a non-profit research and advocacy group that focuses on consumer health, toxic chemicals and pollutants. The ingredient can also accumulate in the body over time.
“The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health … found the potential for adverse health effects in humans,” the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods James Jones was quoted as saying in a statement.
According to EWG’s Eat Well Guide, it is possible that numerous products – mainly soft drinks – include BVO as an ingredient.
The low number of products in the USA containing BVO was due to past restrictions introduced by the FDA, the report said.
“In 1970, the FDA determined BVO was no longer ‘Generally Recognised as Safe’ … and began overseeing its use under our food additive regulations,” Jones said. “Over the years, many beverage makers reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient, and today, few beverages in the US contain BVO.”
Coca-Cola, for example, announced it had stopped using BVO in its drinks in 2014, The Guardian wrote at the time.
In addition, a 2012 petition with more than 200,000 signatures raised health concerns about the additive, the EWG report said.
Many companies had eliminated BVO from consumer products due to market pressure, the EWG said.
However, BVO could still be found on the market, particularly in so-called off-brand products, including store-brand products and lesser-known, smaller brands that are sometimes sold regionally, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs Scott Faber said.
“Today’s announcement will ensure everyone has access to products that don’t contain BVO,” Faber added.
Although the studies behind the FDA’s decision were conducted on animals, the negative health effects recorded were at levels closely approximating real-world human exposure, according to a statement on the agency’s website on 2 November.
The results showed bio-accumulation of bromine and toxic effects on the thyroid – a gland that produces hormones that play a key role in regulating blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, metabolism and the reaction of the body to other hormones, the FDA said.
The FDA’s Jones said the proposed ban was “an example of how the agency monitors emerging evidence and – as needed – conducts scientific research to investigate safety related questions, and takes regulatory action when the science does not support the continued safe use of additives in foods.”
The proposed ban was open for comment until 17 January and, following a review process, a final decision would be made, CNN wrote.
