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Alessandra Bassani

Mrs. Gephart

AP Chemistry

31 October 2017

Should Artificial Food Dyes be Banned in the United States?

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

artificial dyes change the original properties of foods.

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

32 oz bottle of Gatorade (lemonade) and 12.1 mg of Yellow 5 in a 32 oz bottle of Powerade

(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

prevent them from inputting large amounts of carcinogens in their bodies.

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

Health Perspectives, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Oct. 2010,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2957945/.

Rohrig, Brian. “Eating with Your Eyes: The Chemistry of Food Colorings.” American Chemical

Society, ACS, Oct. 2015,

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

and Potential Behavioral Implications for Consumption in Children. 2014.

White, Dana Angelo. “Artificial Food Coloring: Good or Bad?” Food Network, Food Network,

30 June 2010, www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2010/06/artificial-colors-

are-they-safe