Dangerous food additive
Brominated vegetable oil
Found in citrus flavored drinks
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In many countries around the world, this food additive is strictly prohibited, but it maintains legal status in the United States. It is a common ingredient in various citrus-flavored beverages, including well-known brands like Gatorade and Mountain Dew, where it serves to preserve the fruity flavor.
Surprisingly, brominated vegetable oil (BVO) was initially patented as a flame retardant. Research studies have highlighted its potential to lead to reproductive and behavioral problems.
Although BVO was banned in the U.S. in 1970, it was later granted interim approval for use as a food stabilizer. Remarkably, BVO remains banned throughout Europe and Japan. Curiously, the FDA has not deemed it significant enough to revisit its interim approval all these years later.
