[acb-diabetics] Another reason not to drink sodaFW: [blind-diabetics] Health Article: Why You May Be Drinking Soda That Contains a Dangerous Flame Retardant Banned in Europe and Japan

[Mike Freeman]

Hysteria!

Mike Freeman


On Jan 4, 2012, at 8:07, "Patricia LaFrance-Wolf" <plawolf at earthlink.net> wrote:

>  
>  
> From: blind-diabetics at yahoogroups.com [mailto:blind-diabetics at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of armando del gobbo
> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 6:33 AM
> To: blind-diabetics at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [blind-diabetics] Health Article: Why You May Be Drinking Soda That Contains a Dangerous Flame Retardant Banned in Europe and Japan
>  
>  
> 
> 
> > Environmental Health News/ By Brett Israel
> >
> > http://www.alternet.org/story/153638/why_you_may_be_drinking_soda_that_contains_a_dangerous_flame_retardant_banned_in_europe_and_japan?page=entire
> >
> > Why You May Be Drinking Soda That Contains a Dangerous Flame Retardant 
> > Banned in Europe and Japan
> > Some soda drinkers may be getting a dose of a synthetic chemical called 
> > brominated vegetable oil, or BVO.
> > January 2, 2012 |
> >
> > MARIETTA, Ga. – It's Monday night at the Battle & Brew, a gamer hangout in 
> > this Atlanta suburb. The crowd is slumping in chairs, ears entombed in 
> > headphones, eyes locked on flat-screen monitors and minds lost in tonight’s 
> > video game of choice: "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."
> >
> > To help stay alert all night, each man has an open can of "gamer fuel" 
> > inches from his keyboard. "I've seen some of these dudes plow through six 
> > sodas in six hours," said Brian Smawley, a regular at the gamer bar.
> > Gamers say they chug their fuel for the sugar and caffeine, but drinkers 
> > of Mountain Dew and some other citrus-flavored drinks are also getting a 
> > dose of a synthetic chemical called brominated vegetable oil, or BVO.
> > Patented by chemical companies as a flame retardant, and banned in food 
> > throughout Europe and Japan, BVO has been added to sodas for decades in 
> > North America. Now some scientists have a renewed interest in this 
> > little-known ingredient, found in 10 percent of sodas in the United 
> > States.
> > After a few extreme soda binges — not too far from what many gamers 
> > regularly consume – a few patients have needed medical attention for skin 
> > lesions, memory loss and nerve disorders, all symptoms of overexposure to 
> > bromine. Other studies suggest that BVO could be building up in human 
> > tissues, just like other brominated compounds such as flame retardants. In 
> > mouse studies, big doses caused reproductive and behavioral problems.
> > Reports from an industry group helped the U.S. Food and Drug 
> > Administration establish in 1977 what it considers a safe limit for BVO in 
> > sodas. But some scientists say that limit is based on thin, outdated data, 
> > so they insist that the chemical deserves a fresh look.
> > "Aside from these reports, the scientific data is scarce," said Walter 
> > Vetter, a food chemist at Germany's University of Hohenheim and author of 
> > a recent, but unpublished, study on BVO in European soda imports.
> > Flame retardant soda?
> > The next time you grab a Mountain Dew, Squirt, Fanta Orange, Sunkist 
> > Pineapple, Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange, Powerade Strawberry Lemonade 
> > or Fresca Original Citrus, take a look at the drink's ingredients. In 
> > Mountain Dew, brominated vegetable oil is listed next-to-last, between 
> > disodium EDTA and Yellow 5. These are just a sampling of drinks with BVO 
> > listed in their ingredients, which is required by the FDA. The most 
> > popular sodas – Coca-Cola and Pepsi – do not contain BVO.
> > You don't have to be a gamer to drink these fruit-flavored sodas. In the 
> > United States, 85 percent of kids drink a beverage containing sugar or 
> > artificial sweetener at least once per week, according to a studypublished 
> > last month. Sodas are the largest source of calories for teenagers between 
> > the ages of 14 to 18, according to a National Cancer Institute study. For 
> > adults, soda, energy and sports drinks are the fourth largest source of 
> > calories, a federal study found.
> > Hold a bottle of Mountain Dew to a light. It's cloudy. Brominated 
> > vegetable oil creates the cloudy look by keeping the fruity flavor mixed 
> > into the drink. Without an emulsifier such as BVO, the flavoring would 
> > float to the surface. The FDA limits the use of BVO to 15 parts per 
> > million in fruit-flavored beverages.
> > Brominated vegetable oil, which is derived from soybean or corn, contains 
> > bromine atoms, which weigh down the citrus flavoring so it mixes with 
> > sugar water, or in the case of flame retardants, slows down chemical 
> > reactions that cause a fire.
> > Brominated flame retardants lately are under intense scrutiny because 
> > research has shown that they are building up in people’s bodies, including 
> > breast milk, around the world. Designed to slow the spread of flames, they 
> > are added to polystyrene foam cushions used in upholstered furniture and 
> > children's products, as well as plastics used in electronics. Research in 
> > animals as well as some human studies have found links to impaired 
> > neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and 
> > altered thyroid hormones.
> > BVO may not be in use today as a flame retardant in furniture foam, but 
> > patents in Europe — granted earlier this year to Dow Global Technologies — 
> > and in the United States — granted in 1967 to Koppers Inc. — keep that 
> > possibility alive.
> > "There are some concerns [about BVO] because people are worried that maybe 
> > it has the behavior, [and] potential health effects similar to brominated 
> > flame retardants," said Heather Stapleton, an environmental chemist at 
> > Duke University who specializes in studying brominated compounds.
> > Soda makers and industry groups say they are not concerned about the 
> > safety of brominated vegetable oil, saying their products meet all 
> > government standards.
> > "This is a safe ingredient approved by the FDA, which is used in some 
> > citrus-based beverages," said Christopher Gindlesperger of the American 
> > Beverage Association, which represents PepsiCo, maker of Mountain Dew. 
> > "Importantly, consumers can rest assured that our products are safe and 
> > our industry adheres to all government regulations."
> > Chris Barnes of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, makers of Squirt and other 
> > drinks that contain BVO, echoed that response.
> > "All ingredients in Dr. Pepper Snapple Group products meet FDA and other 
> > regulator requirements," Barnes said.
> > Dated data
> > Some experts are unconvinced, saying that the FDA standards are based on 
> > decades-old data.
> > "Compounds like these that are in widespread use probably should be 
> > reexamined periodically with newer technologies to ensure that there 
> > aren't effects that would have been missed by prior methods," said Charles 
> > Vorhees, a toxicologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 
> > who studied BVO's neurological effects in the early 1980s. "I think BVO is 
> > the kind of compound that probably warrants some reexamination."
> > Toxicity testing has changed dramatically in the past few decades. 
> > Multiple generations of animals now can be tested for neurodevelopmental, 
> > hormonal and reproductive changes that weren't imagined in the 1970s and 
> > early 1980s.
> > "I am no toxicologist, but I think that the toxic evaluation of chemicals 
> > has been improved since then," Vetter added.
> > In 1970, scientists in England found that rats on a six-week diet 
> > containing 0.8 percent brominated maize oil had stockpiles of bromine in 
> > their fat tissue. The bromine stayed there even after the rats returned to 
> > a control diet for two weeks.
> > Around the same time, a study confirmed that bromine was building up in 
> > humans. Researchers measured the serum levels of people in the United 
> > Kingdom – where BVO was in use – and in their counterparts in the 
> > Netherlands and Germany, where BVO was not used.
> > "During this time UK citizens had higher bromine serum levels compared to 
> > the inhabitants of Germany and the Netherlands," Vetter said. The largest 
> > amounts of lipid-bound bromine were found in tissues from children in the 
> > UK, according to the study.
> > The study authors wrote that "it seems highly probable that the intake of 
> > brominated vegetable oil is the cause of the tissue bromine residues in 
> > children."
> > Data in rats show that BVO could be toxic. A 1971 study by Canadian 
> > researchers found that rats fed a diet containing 0.5 percent brominated 
> > oils grew heavy hearts and developed lesions in their heart muscle. In a 
> > later study, in 1983, rats fed the same oils had behavioral problems, and 
> > those fed 1 percent BVO had trouble conceiving. At 2 percent, they were 
> > unable to reproduce.
> > The diets in that study had "whopping doses" of BVO, about 100-times 
> > higher than today's allowable limit, said Vorhees, lead author of the 1983 
> > study.
> > But two case studies in the past 15 years show that whopping doses also 
> > can occur in people – with unhealthy consequences.
> > Epic binges
> > On MMO nights at the Battle & Brew, some gamers play 12 straight hours. In 
> > these Massively Multiplayer Online games, thousands of players from around 
> > the world compete. During these epic battles, a soda every hour is not 
> > uncommon. A gamer chugging a 20-ounce bottle of soda every hour will 
> > finish 3.5 liters in six hours.
> > "They're just sitting for 12 hours, just pounding sodas," Smawley said.
> > Virtually every teen in America plays video games, according to the Pew 
> > Research Center. The $110-billion-a-year soft drink industry and the 
> > $74-billion-a-year video game industry have noticed. Activision, the 
> > makers of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," the latest edition in this 
> > popular video game series, paired with Mountain Dew in a promotion that 
> > rewards gamers with bonus points for drinking more Mountain Dew.
> > In 1997, emergency room doctors at University of California, Davis 
> > reported a patient with severe bromine intoxication from drinking two to 
> > four liters of orange soda every day. He developed headaches, fatigue, 
> > ataxia (loss of muscle coordination) and memory loss.
> > In a 2003 case reported in Ohio, a 63-year-old man developed ulcers on his 
> > swollen hands after drinking eight liters of Red Rudy Squirt every day for 
> > several months. The man was diagnosed with bromoderma, a rare skin 
> > hypersensitivity to bromine exposure. The patient quit drinking the 
> > brominated soft drink and months later recovered.
> > Reactions this severe may not be a concern in the general population, the 
> > study’s doctors said.
> > "Any normal level of consumption of BVO would not cause any health 
> > problems — except the risk of diabetes and obesity from drinking that much 
> > sugar water," said Zane Horowitz, medical director of the Oregon Poison 
> > Center and author of the 1997 case study.
> > But in the gamer scene, a normal level of consumption is not normal. 
> > Everyone, it seems, knows someone habitually needing a fuel fix, and 
> > consuming enough to up his or her risk.
> > "I've seen hard core guys, after every game they'll just grab another 
> > one," said Sean Hyatt, the assistant manager at the Battle & Brew.
> > And it's not just the "stinkies" – Smawley's derogatory term for the 
> > stereotypical gamer slobs – who pound gamer fuel. Vorhees, of the 
> > Cincinnati children's hospital, said his son stays up all night when 
> > playing a new game with his friends.
> > "They use Mountain Dew specifically as a beverage to keep them awake – and 
> > they hardly eat anything," Vorhees said.
> > When a person doesn't eat during one of these binges, his or her body is 
> > absorbing the entire beverage. It's even worse in kids, Vorhees said, 
> > because they have less body mass.
> > "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 2-year feeding study in pigs established a 
> > no-effect level of 1,200 ppm. A 2-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 finding 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.
> > "There are many options to substitute BVO with safe chemicals," Vetter 
> > said. "I am not aware of significant disadvantages of BVO over 
> > hydrocolloids or vice versa."
> > With natural alternatives already in use in other countries, why not 
> > switch in North America too?
> > Wim Thielemans, a chemical engineer at the University of Nottingham in the 
> > United Kingdom, said since the alternatives are already used in Europe 
> > "their performance must be acceptable, if not comparable, to the U.S.-used 
> > brominated systems." That means "the main driver for not replacing them 
> > may be cost," he said.
> > "It is a North American problem," Vetter added. "In the E.U., BVO will 
> > never be permitted."
> >
> > Brett Israel is a researcher, writer and former intern at Environmental 
> > Health News.
> 
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