Some time ago, I bought a plastic bottle of soda from a vending machine. "Squirt", a refreshing grapefruit-flavored citrusy soda. While I was drinking it, I took a look at the small print listing the ingredients. All the usual, but then I noticed something that stuck out: "brominated vegetable oil". Now I know a little about chemistry and something like that shouldn't be in there. That sounds more like something that would be used as a pesticide. Organohalide chemicals typically are carcinogens (potential cancer-causing), often toxic. I did some research: 10 percent of sodas in the US, contains brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a flame retardant chemical banned in Europe and Japan. The flame retardant, BVO, is currently listed as an ingredient in various citrus soft drinks such as: Mountain Dew, Squirt, Fanta Orange, Sunkist Pineapple, Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange, Powerade Strawberry Lemonade and Fresca Original Citrus. But why and what for? According to the Environmental Health News, BVO contains "bromine atoms which weigh down the citrus flavoring so it mixes with sugar water" instead of floating to the top. Basically, BVO gives soda more consistent flavoring. That sounds good. But BVO is also added to polystyrene foam cushions in furniture and plastics in electronics because BVO can slow down the chemical reactions that cause a fire. Yuck. Is that what we want to be drinking? So how the hell if BVO is banned in foods in Europe and Japan, does BVO still exist here? Well, back in 1977, the FDA set what they thought was a "safe" limit for BVO in sodas and soda companies have been allowed to use BVO ever since. Seriously! That's the only reason! Scientists believe that the data the FDA looked at in the 1970s is outdated (ya think?) and that BVO needs a closer look. The EHN says: After a few extreme soda bingesnot too far from what many gamers regularly consumea 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. As if we needed more reason to learn that soda is not healthy for us.
The next time I have to extinguish a fire and the only thing that's available are cans of soda pop, I'll remember to grab the Squirt and not the Pepsi.
