BLUE1 Used in beverages, candy, & baked goods. Testing showed a small cancer risk, might affect neurons, and also causes occasional allergic reactions.
BLUE 2 Used in pet food, beverages, & candy. Studies found some evidence that Blue 2 causes brain cancer in rats.
GREEN 3 Used in candy& beverages. A study gave hints of bladder and testes tumors in male rats. Fortunately, this possibly carcinogenic dye is not widely used.
ORANGE B Used in sausage. Approved for use only in sausage casings, high doses of this dye are harmful to the liver and bile duct. Orange B has not been used for many years.
RED 3 Used in candy & baked goods. There is evidence that this dye caused thyroid tumors in rats. FDA’s recommendation that the dye be banned was overruled by pressure from the cherry industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is used in foods ranging from cake icing to fruit roll-ups to chewing gum.
RED 40 Used in soda pop, candy, gelatin desserts, pastries, pet food, and sausage. The most widely used food dye. Red 40 can cause allergy-like reactions.
YELLOW 5 Used in gelatin dessert, candy, pet food, and baked goods. The second-most-widely used coloring causes allergy-like hypersensitivity reactions and triggers hyperactivity in some children. It may be contaminated with such cancer-causing substances as benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl (or chemicals that the body converts to those substances).
YELLOW 6 Used in beverages, candy, & baked goods. Tests indicated that this dye, the third-most-widely-used, causes tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. Yellow 6 may cause occasional, but sometimes-severe, hypersensitivity reactions.
Food additives:
ANNATTO Natural coloring used for butter, cheese, & other foods. Annatto is a widely used food coloring obtained from the seeds of a tropical shrub. Its hue is yellow to orange. Unfortunately, natural does not always mean perfectly safe. Annatto causes hives in some people. In fact, allergic reactions to annatto appear to be more common than reactions to commonly used synthetic food dyes.
ASPARTAME Artificial sweetener used in diet foods, including soft drinks, drink mixes, gelatin desserts, low-calorie frozen desserts, &packets. Studies have shown that it may cause cancer, neurological problems, dizziness, brain tumors, lymphomas, leukemias, kidney tumors, headaches, mammary (breast) cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer. It is possible that the cause of the problems might be the methanol released when aspartame breaks down in the body(or the product’s container). More research is needed.
BROMINATED VEGETABLE OIL (BVO) Used as an emulsifier, clouding agent in soft drinks & sports drinks. zzeating BVO leaves residues in body fat and the fat in brain, liver, and other organs. One study shows that it can cause heart lesions, fatty changes in the liver, impaired growth, and impared behavioral development. Doctors have identified bromine toxicity in people who drink large amounts of soda. BVO should not be used (it is not permitted in Europe).
BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA) Used in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, & vegetable oil. Some studies indicate that it can cause cancer. BHA could be left out or easily replaced with Vitamin E. There is no reason to use/consume BHA.
CARAMEL COLORING Used incolas, baked goods, pre-cooked meats, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chocolate-flavored products, & beer. Causes cancer.
GINKGO Used in beverages and other consumables. It interferes with blood clotting. Just this year, 2013, the U.S. Government’s National Toxicology Program found clear evidence that ginkgo caused liver cancer in male and female mice and caused thyroid cancer in rats.
PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (Trans fat) Used in fat, oil, shortening, stick margarine, crackers, fried restaurant foods, baked goods, icing, & microwave popcorn. Harvard School of Public Health researchers estimate that it causes about 50,000 premature heart attack deaths annually, making partially hydrogenated oil one of the most harmful ingredients in the food supply.
POTASSIUM BROMATE Used as a flour improver in white flour, bread and rolls. Bromate causes cancer in animals. Bromate has been banned virtually worldwide except in Japan and the United States. The Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to ban bromate.
PROPYL GALLATE Used in vegetable oil, meat products, potato sticks, chicken soup base, & chewing gum. May cause cancer.
SODIUM NITRITE/NITRATE A preservative, coloring, flavoring used in bacon, ham, frankfurters, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. Can lead to the formation of small amounts of potent cancer-causing chemicals. Has been linked with various types of cancer. Some products may not contain added sodium nitrite, but they are sometimes are made with celery powder or celery juice which are naturally high in nitrite.