Cancer-causing chemical found in
bread samples from Delhi
health
food
safety
CSE tested some of the bread sold in
Delhi and found residues of Potassium Bromate and Iodate in commonly consumed
varieties.
Your daily
bread could contain cancer-causing chemicals, including Potassium Bromate and
Potassium Iodate, substances that are banned in many countries, but not in
India due to slack food regulations, warns a new report released by the Centre
for Science and Environment.
CSE’s new
study tested some of the bread sold in Delhi and found residues of Potassium
Bromate and Iodate in commonly consumed varieties.
The use of
Potassium Bromate – classified as a category 2B carcinogen (possibly
carcinogenic to humans) – is banned in most countries. Also, Potassium Iodate,
which contributes to thyroid-related diseases, was found.The group has now
recommended an immediate ban on these two chemicals.
The study,
conducted by CSE’s Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML), says Indian bread
manufacturers use Potassium Bromate and Potassium Iodate for treating flour
while making bread. The PML tested 38 commonly available branded varieties of
pre-packaged breads of popular fast food outlets from Delhi.
“We found
84 per cent samples positive with potassium Bromate/Iodate. We re-confirmed the
presence of Potassium Bromate/Iodate in a few samples through an external
third-party laboratory. We checked labels and talked to industry and
scientists. Our study confirms the widespread use of Potassium Bromate/Iodate
as well as presence of Bromate/Iodate residues in the final product,” says
Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE and head of the CSE lab.
‘Possibly carcinogenic to humans’
In 1999,
the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified Potassium
Bromate as possibly carcinogenic (cancer causing) to humans. It was found to
cause tumours of the kidney, thyroid and cancer of the abdominal lining in
laboratory animals.Considering Potassium Bromate as a ‘genotoxic carcinogen’,
the JECFA (WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) in 1992 said that
“use of Potassium Bromate as a flour treatment agent was not appropriate”. The
EU banned its use in 1990 and so did the U.K. Subsequently, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Nigeria, Peru and Columbia also decided
to ban its usage.
“Globally,
Potassium Bromate was allowed to be used on the assumption that the Bromate
residues would not be present in the end product. This assumption failed across
the world. Residues were being detected even after reducing the allowed limits
of use and therefore, countries started banning it. Our study confirms that
residues of Potassium Bromate are present in bread sold in India,” Mr. Bhushan
points out.
Under ideal
baking conditions, Bromate converts into Bromide which is harmless. However,
this does not seem to happen in practice. While there is not much labelling
required on non-packaged fast foods, pre-packaged products have to disclose the
flour treatment agent used.
“Industry
members and experts told us that Potassium Bromate is widely used as it is
allowed by law and offers high-quality finish to the final product. When CSE
contacted companies whose products were found with Potassium Bromate or
Potassium Iodate, six out of 12 came forward to deny use of these chemicals.
Only one company was found to be labelling the use of Potassium Bromate,” says
Amit Khurana, programme manager, Food Safety and Toxins team at CSE.
What do CSE test results
show?
Eighty-four
per cent (32/38) samples were found with Potassium Bromate/Iodate in the range
of 1.15-22.54 parts per million (ppm). Seventy-nine per cent (19/24) samples of
packaged bread, all samples of white bread, pav, bun and ready-to-eat pizza bread and 75 per cent (3/4)
samples of ready-to-eat burger bread tested positive.
High
levels of Potassium Bromate/Iodate were found in sandwich bread, pav, bun
and white bread. Products of Perfect Bread, Harvest Gold and Britannia were
those with higher levels.
No
residues were found in all four tested products of Defence Bakery (Whole Wheat
Bread, Jumbo Slices Brown, Brown Bread, Multigrain), one out of four samples of
English Oven (Sandwich Bread) and one out of two samples of Nirula’s (burger
bread of Chatpata Aloo Burger).
Only one
brand – Perfect Bread – labels use of Potassium Bromate. No maker among those
tested labels Potassium Iodate. Only Britannia denied use of Potassium Bromate
or Iodate.
Products
of all five popular multinational fast food outlets selling pizza and burger
were found positive with Potassium Bromate/Iodate. These include KFC, Pizza
Hut, Domino’s, Subway and McDonald’s. Except Domino’s, others have denied use.
Samples of
two other fast food outlets — Nirula’s and Slice of Italy — also tested
positive for Potassium Bromate/Iodate. Slice of Italy have denied use of the
chemicals.
