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HWN Suggests

Pizza Crusts and Crackers Are Full of Cancer-Causing Additives

Potassium bromate might sound like a horrible British nightclub, but it’s actually way worse. It’s the type of chemical that is known as a “flour improver” which means that it has the desirable qualities of strengthening dough and allowing it to rise to even greater heights—that’s the upside. The downside is that, as far as ingredients go, it’s about as artificial as it gets, with all of the cancer-causing, gene-disrupting properties that come along with that. Since being classified as a potential carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1999, potassium bromate has been banned in United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, and the European Union, among others, while stateside…

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 A Carcinogen in Bread?

An additive used in some countries is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as being “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” So what's it doing in bread?

Articles of Interest

Banned bread: why does the US allow additives that Europe says are unsafe?

Give us this day our daily foam expander. It may sound odd, but in America, your loaf of bread can contain ingredients with industrial applications – additives that also appear in things like yoga mats, pesticides, hair straighteners, explosives and petroleum products. Some of these chemicals, used as optional whiteners, dough conditioners and rising agents, may be harmful to human health. Potassium bromate, a potent oxidizer that helps bread rise, has been linked to kidney and thyroid cancers in rodents. Azodicarbonamide (ACA), a chemical that forms bubbles in foams and plastics like vinyl, is used to bleach and leaven dough – but when baked, it, too, has been linked to cancer in lab animals.

Health risks of potassium bromate maybe not so ‘Fringe’

Unfortunately, this isn’t science fiction. Potassium bromate is a food additive, a powerful oxidizer commonly employed to improve flour, which is considered possibly carcinogenic to humans and as such has been banned from use in food products in Europe, Canada, and most other countries including China. It is not, however, banned in the United States, and it can indeed be found in baked goods. While potassium bromate does not seem to be an ingredient in actual Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts — surprisingly, considering how many additives are in them — a quick search for “toaster pastry and potassium bromate” turns it up in the list for Log House All Natural Original Zwieback Toast — “the perfect family snacks that are among the healthiest snacks available today.”

Is This Chemical in Your Pizza Crust?

Why is potassium bromate, a possible human carcinogen, still available in U.S. baked goods, despite being banned around the world?

Potassium bromate: 50 years of research shows serious health risks

Potassium bromate is a powerful oxidizing agent commonly used as a food additive in baked goods, including breads, pastries, bagels, and crusts. It has been linked to various cancers, along with thyroid disease, kidney damage, gut irritation and reproductive abnormalities. In 1999, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), categorized potassium bromate as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” It has been banned as a food additive in Europe since 1990, in Canada since 1994, and in India since 2016. Other countries that have banned potassium bromate include Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Peru, China, and Sri Lanka.

The Dangers of Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate is a chemical compound that has been used as a food additive, primarily as a flour improver in bread-making. It is a strong oxidizing agent, which helps to strengthen dough, reduce mixing time, and improve the rise and texture of the final product. However, potassium bromate is also a possible carcinogen, which has led to its ban or restriction in many countries.

The Truth About Potassium Bromate

In 1982, researchers in Japan published the first of a series of studies showing that potassium bromate causes cancer in the thyroids, kidneys and other body parts of rats and mice. As a result of these findings, countries around the world banned the additive, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held back, in part because the amount of potassium bromate that remains in bread after baking should be negligible: less than 20 parts per billion (ppb).

This cancer-causing chemical may be lurking in your bread

Many packaged baked goods are made with flour that may contain potassium bromate, an additive linked to cancer. The chemical is added to flour to strengthen dough and allow it to rise higher, benefits that have led many U.S. companies to embrace it.

Trending – Potassium Bromate

Why is potassium bromate banned in the European Union and other countries but not the United States?

What Is Potassium Bromate—and Should You Avoid It?

Potassium bromate is a chemical additive commonly used in the food industry to help strengthen dough and enhance the texture of baked goods. It's often added to bread, rolls and other baked goods to make them rise higher and have a more uniform texture. However, potassium bromate is controversial due to its potential health risks. Potassium bromate is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, meaning it may increase cancer risk in humans. Despite this classification, potassium bromate is still legal in many countries, including the United States.