Regulator looks to expand loophole to allow dangerous compounds in food as long as they’re not carcinogenic
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to expand a controversial loophole to allow some of the world’s most toxic chemicals to be added directly to food without a safety review.
The “threshold of regulation” (TOR) exemption currently allows dangerous compounds to be used without review in food contact materials, such as packaging or processing equipment, if they are not carcinogenic, and are added at levels below 0.5 parts per billion (ppb).
But campaigners say many chemicals, especially hormone disruptors linked to brain damage and reproductive harm in children, are considered dangerous at levels far below 0.5ppb. Even in its limited form, the loophole has already raised alarm. One TOR exemption that allows the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate to be used in grain bags dramatically increased the amount of the compound found in kids’ cereal, which advocates say could cause brain damage.
Make America Hospitalized Again
This article is a weird mix of fearmongering / pseudoscience and actual real concerns. I don’t like that especially because I consider the Guardian to be a pretty good source, but a lot in this article makes me doubt their journalistic integrity.
For example, they mention substances acting as fillers or binders - at 0.5 parts per billion. Anything with that little CANNOT by its very nature be a binder or filler. It would be as ridiculous as trying to say an ant on a highway was “speeding” or something like that.
Also, when they talk about companies adding compounds/flavourings to food to basically make you want to eat more. While companies do want you to enjoy the food so that you want to eat more, that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.
So, where are the legitimate concerns?
For one, the TOR exception has been about substances that somehow manage to get into food during the process, but are not specifically added to food. This rule change basically allows for companies to specifically know substances are being added. For example, if you didn’t read the article: Bags used to store/move grain in large amounts (hundreds of pounds) have coatings so the grain doesn’t stick. But during loading/unloading, very very tiny bits of the coating can get into the grain - not enough to exceed 0.5ppb, but enough to be detected, and this may have some negtive health effects. That’s not new, that was already happening and this rules change doesn’t affect that. But it does mean that basically more things like that might happen.
Also, the 0.5ppb science was established long enough ago that since then, we are figuring out that it may not be safe enough for all things - because longterm chemical exposure even at that tiny level can have effects, and also, some things just can have effects at even that small amount. The good news is that for most everything, that threshhold is sufficient. But the bad news is… maybe not for everything.
But I think what concerns me more than that actual possible harm here - which is real, but not huge - is the absolute fearmongering of the article. I’m extremely disappointed by that.
Same motherfuckers who bitched about fluoride in water are gonna be perfectly fine with this.
Read as: we’re already doing this and this is how we let you know
What the fuck even is America
Was the fall of Rome this quick?
Which one? Rome fell like five times before it was finally killed. The western Roman Empire, The Kingdom of the Romans in France, The Fourth Crusade, The Fall of Constantinople, and the conquest of Trebizond. Most of these were pretty quick and roughly comparable to the US if you start with Reagan.
Having 1 food item per week turn out to be toxic/dangerous in some way is rookie numbers–soon enough we’ll have daily food advisory warnings! You’ll never eat safely again! 🥹
Pretty soon the FDA will just grind “food” into white powder that can be snorted from toilet seats…for safety.
But MAHA though right?
Why would you need to use perchlorate in a grain bag?
Search says it’s an anti-static agent.
Thanks. I couldn’t find anything when I searched. I doubt this is the only chemical they could use for that. It’s always about money — like what’s cheapest, or what’s subsidized. Sad sad sad.
Republican eugenics.
toxic chemicals, it’s what plants crave.
