Food additives and cancer
1981
Fairweather, Frank A. | Swann, Cheryl A.
The carcinogenicity of food additives has been under intense scrutiny for a number of years. Some examples of the cancer/additive relationship demonstrated in animal studies are furyl furamide, an antimicrobial preservative used in Japan which was withdrqwn after evidence of its carcinogenic potential in short-term in vitro screening tests; safrole, a flavoring agent found to induce hepatic tumors in rats; coloring additives, such as triphenylmethane dyes and amaranth; artificial sweeteners, such as cyclamates (banned) and saccharin (carcinogenicity not established); and the nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines, which present a toxic hazard in volume and in formation of N-nitroso compounds. Many of these substances are naturally present in foods. The testing for carcinogenicity has evolved over the years to aid the study of long-term chronic, toxic, and carcinogenic effects. Some problems exist in study design and interpretation of results, but these may be minimized by strict adherence to good laboratory practices.
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