Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alessandra Bassani
Mrs. Gephart
AP Chemistry
31 October 2017
Artificial food dyes continue to be a concern in the United States, as people worry about
the potential health risks that are associated with these additives. These dyes were originally
made from coal tar, but they are now made from chemicals found in petroleum. Many labels
mention that these dyes are present, however they do not state the amount that is really in the
product. Studies have proven that artificial food dyes have contributed to behavioral problems
and in some cases the development of cancer. However, in most cases, consuming small amounts
of food dyes are not detrimental to a person’s health. Artificial food dyes should not be banned in
the United States, but rather companies should state the amount of each dye present to allow
consumers to be more aware about what they are putting in their bodies.
Artificial food dyes are added for a reason, which should make people more alarmed
about what they are consuming. For example, food dyes are added to make food look more
appealing, because many valuable nutrients and fibers are lost when foods are processed. The
flavor of the food is also changed, which makes these additives necessary in order to make the
food desirable, even though it does not change the taste (Mercola). As a result of this, many
processed foods are not the best option for someone’s health because of the little nutritional
value they contain. They are also altered to be more presentable, since they are “slow [to] [spoil],
prevent fats from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor, prevent cut fruits from turning
brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals (which are lost during
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processing), improve taste, texture, and appearance” (Mercola). All of this illustrates how
A series of studies were performed, which concluded that artificial food dyes were linked
to various health conditions. The effects of these dyes are more notable in children, as they
caused “hyperactivity and behavior problems” (White). However, Blue 2 led to brain tumors in
mice, and in 1981 it was determined that Green 3 contributed to bladder cancer. Also, Yellow 5
caused allergic reactions, and Yellow 6 was connected to cancer in the kidneys and adrenal
glands. Red 3 might have also caused thyroid tumors (White). In addition, some of the
commonly found food dyes, Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 5, led to other health problems. Blue 1
was potentially associated with kidney tumors in mice, and Red 40 accelerated the growth of
tumors in the immune systems of mice. In consumers, Red 40 and Yellow 5 also caused
hypersensitivity and hyperactivity (Mercola). These conclusions prove the link that artificial food
dyes have with the development of different health condition, since as a result of consuming
them, some cancer and tumors formed and people experienced allergic reactions.
Another concern of artificial food dyes, are the chemicals that make them up. These
chemicals contribute to the development of many different health risks. For example, the FDA
stated that “Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 contain benzidene, a human and animal carcinogen
permitted in low, presumably safe levels in dyes” (Potera). Even though it is present in small
amounts, “the FDA calculated in 1985 that ingestion of free benzidine raises the cancer risk to
just under the “concern” threshold (1 cancer in 1 million people)” (Potera). However, the amount
of dye present in different drinks depends upon the brand and variety.
Based on the data concluded from the lab, there is 58.5 mg of Red 40 present in 1 liter of
Powerade Zero (fruit punch), with a standard deviation of 3.97. A large powerade bottle contains
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32 oz, which converts to .950 of a liter. This means there would be 55.6 mg of Red 40 in one
Powerade Zero (fruit punch) bottle. However, this value doubled for a liter of Gatorade Fierce
(fruit punch and berry). It was determined that 141.9 mg of Red 40 were present per liter with a
standard deviation of 3.70, which equals out to be 135 mg of Red 40 in one 32 oz bottle of
Gatorade Fierce. This is a high amount of dye that is present, and people are unaware of this.
However, the amount of Blue 1 in sports drinks is considerably lower. From the lab it was
concluded that 3.31 mg of Blue 1 were present in 1 liter of Gatorade (cool blue) with a standard
deviation of 3.31. This converts to 3.14 mg of Blue 1 in a 32 oz bottle of Gatorade. The amount
of Blue 1 present in Powerade (mountain berry blast) was 3.23 mg per liter with a standard
deviation of .0121. This is equivalent to 3.07 mg of Blue 1 in a 32 oz bottle. Overall, the amount
of Blue 1 present in different brands of drinks is more proportionate than Red 40. This is also
true for Yellow 5, where it was calculated that 12.4 mg of Yellow 5 were present in 1 liter of
Gatorade (lemonade) with a standard deviation of 1.11, and 12.7 mg of Yellow 5 in 1 liter of
Powerade (lemon lime) with a standard deviation of 0.330. This equals 11.8 mg of Yellow 5 in a
(lemon lime). Although these values are low, children between the ages 6-12 “consumed on
average 517 mL/d of sugar-sweetened beverages” (Stevens). This would bring the total amount
of mL of sport drinks consumed in a year to 189000 mL, which converts to 189 liters. The
amount of Red 40 that would be present in 189 liters of Powerade Zero (fruit punch) is 11100 mg
and in 189 liters of Gatorade Fierce (fruit punch and berry) is 26800 mg. For Blue 1 there would
be 626 mg of dye in Gatorade (cool blue) and 610 mg in Powerade (mountain berry blast). For
Yellow 5 there would be 2340 mg in Gatorade (lemonade) and 2400 mg in Powerade (lemon
lime). This data conveys how much dye children are actually consuming, and even though food
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dyes contains small amounts of carcinogens, its adds up when drinks or food are consumed on a
daily basis. As a result, food labels would enable consumers to make healthier choices that
People may think that natural food dyes are safer to consumer because they contain no
harmful chemicals, however they not always better for someone’s overall health. For example,
people experienced allergic reactions when they consumed products withs annatto and saffron,
which are yellow food colorings made from natural products. This was the case for another
natural dye that comes from insects called cochineal. It caused severe allergic reactions in some
consumers, and led to anaphylactic shock, which is a life threatening condition (Rohrig). This
demonstrates how natural dyes are not always the best alternative to artificial food dyes, because
health issues also occurred as a result of using them. The only way to ensure that a person will
not react to food dyes, is to avoid eating any foods that are associated with them, natural and
artificial.
Artificial food dyes can be harmful, and have been proven to have negative effects on the
human body. They even caused cancer in mice when studies were performed. However, it is up
to the consumers to decide what they want to eat and drink. Food dyes should not be banned, but
rather more information should be displayed about them. This gives everyone a choice to decide
what type of lifestyles they want to live. Also, if companies provided the amount of artificial
food dyes present in each product, it might even cause people to change their diet, and move
towards healthier options. This would be a result of them knowing what they are actually putting
in their bodies.
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Works Cited
Mercola. “Toxic Food Dyes and Dangers of Artificial Food Coloring.” Mercola.com, Mercola,
24Feb.2011,
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/24/are-you-or-your-family-eating-
toxic-food-dyes.aspx.
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Potera, Carol. “DIET AND NUTRITION: The Artificial Food Dye Blues.” Environmental
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2957945/.
Rohrig, Brian. “Eating with Your Eyes: The Chemistry of Food Colorings.” American Chemical
www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-
issues/2015-2016/october-2015/food-colorings.html.
Stevens, Laura J, et al. Amounts of Artificial Food Colors in Commonly Consumed Beverages
White, Dana Angelo. “Artificial Food Coloring: Good or Bad?” Food Network, Food Network,
are-they-safe