| Additive |
Function |
Natural or Synthetic |
Year Banned |
Problem |
| Agene (nitrogen trichloride) |
flour bleaching and aging agent |
synthetic |
1949 |
dogs that ate bread made from treated flour suffered epileptic-like fits; the toxic agent was methionine sulfoxime |
| Artificial colorings: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1919 |
toxic, later found to cause liver cancer |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1965 |
liver cancer |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1965 |
insufficient economic importance to be tested |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1956 |
organ damage |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1960 |
organ damage |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1978 (ban never finalized) |
cancer |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1961 |
liver cancer |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1976 |
possible carcinogen |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1976 |
high levels damaged adrenal cortex of dog; after 1965 it was used only in maraschino cherries and certain pills; it is still allowed in externally applied drugs and cosmetics |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1956 |
damages internal organs and may be a weak carcinogen; since 1956 it continues to be used under the name Citrus Red 2 only to color oranges (2 ppm) |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1919 |
toxic, later found to be carcinogenic |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1973 |
cancer (it had been used to stamp the Department of Agriculture’s inspection mark on beef carcasses) |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1959 |
intestinal lesions at high dosages |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1959 |
heart damage at high dosages |
|
|
artificial coloring |
synthetic |
1959 |
heart damage at high dosages |
| cinnamyl anthranilate |
artificial flavoring |
synthetic |
1982 |
liver cancer |
| cobalt salts |
stabilize beer foam |
synthetic |
1966 |
toxic effects on heart |
| coumarin |
flavoring |
tonka bean |
1954 |
liver poison |
| cyclamate |
artificial sweetener |
synthetic |
1970 |
bladder cancer, damage to testes; now not thought to cause cancer directly, but to increase the potency of other carcinogens |
| diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) |
preservative (beverages) |
synthetic |
1972 |
combines with ammonia to form urethane, a carcinogen |
| dulcin (p-ethoxy-phenylurea) |
artificial sweetener |
synthetic |
1950 |
liver cancer |
| ethylene glycol |
solvent |
humectant |
synthetic |
kidney damage |
| monochloroacetic acid |
preservative |
synthetic |
1941 |
highly toxic |
| nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) |
antioxidant |
desert plant |
1968 (FDA), 1971 (USDA) |
kidney damage |
| oil of calamus |
flavoring |
root of calamus |
1968 |
intestinal cancer |
| polyoxyethylene-8-stearate (Myrj 45) |
emulsifier |
synthetic |
1952 |
high levels caused bladder stones and tumors |
| safrole |
flavoring (root beer) |
sassafras |
1960 |
liver cancer |
| thiourea |
preservative |
synthetic |
c.1950 |
liver cancer |
