A substance that can cause cancer is added to products in the USA: it has long been banned in Europe and other countries

From baguettes to focaccia, Europe is famous for its bread. But it's missing one ingredient: potassium bromate. This carcinogen is banned for consumption in Europe, China and India, but not in the United States. CBS.

Photo: IStock

In the US, this chemical compound is used by some food manufacturers, usually in the form of fine crystals or powder, to strengthen dough. It is estimated to be present in over 100 products.

“There is evidence that it can be toxic to consumers, that it can even cause or promote tumor growth,” said Prof Eric Millstone, a nutritional supplement expert at the University of Sussex in England. He said European regulators are much more careful about food safety than their American counterparts.

Asked if it was safe to say that the differences in the rules meant that people in the US developed cancer that they would not have developed if they had eaten exclusively in Europe, Millstone replied that it was "almost certainly a conclusion that we can come."

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It's not just potassium bromate. A number of other chemicals banned in Europe due to health concerns are also allowed in the US, including titanium dioxide (also known as E171), brominated vegetable oil (BVO) (E443), potassium bromate (E924), azodicarbonamide (E927a) and propylparaben (E217).

Millstone, who has spent almost half a century researching food science and agriculture, said most Americans were probably completely unaware that they were daily exposed to substances in food that are considered dangerous in Europe.

"They're probably just thinking, 'Well, if it's available or in the store, then it's probably okay,'" he said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said all dietary supplements require "evaluation" and "regulations require proof that each substance is safe at its intended level of use before it can be added to food." ".

“Once approved, our scientists continue to review relevant new information to determine if there are safety concerns and whether the use of such a substance is not safe,” the agency added.

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Stacey McNamara is originally from upstate New York but has been living in London for ten years. She said that raising her children in the UK opened her eyes to what is allowed in food in the US.

McNamara has no plans to ever return home. She said food safety was "for sure" part of that decision.

The FDA has stated that when used properly, potassium bromate is converted to a harmless substance during food production.

However, the FDA has recognized that not all compounds used in any recipe may be converted during the manufacturing process, but control measures have been used to minimize their amount in final products.

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