Brominated vegetable oil, BVO, is used as an emulsifier in Gatorade. The stuff is banned for human consumption in the EU and Japan, and apparently can also be used as a flame retardant. (One way to cool down, right?)
According to the NYT, Sarah Kavanagh, 15, of Hattiesburg garnered nearly 200K signatures on an online petition to PepsiCo to clean up Gatorade. Apparently the buzz has caused Pepsi to say it will move towards eliminating the stuff from Gatorade.
However, it’s also used in other citrusy drinks, including Mountain Dew. Of which this blog’s proprietor consumes 4 or 5 cans a day at the office (diet version).
Brominated vegetable oil contains bromine, the element found in brominated flame retardants, used in things like upholstered furniture and children’s products. Research has found brominate flame retardants building up in the body and breast milk, and animal and some human studies have linked them to neurological impairment, reduced fertility, changes in thyroid hormones and puberty at an earlier age.
Limited studies of the effects of brominated vegetable oil in animals and in humans found buildups of bromine in fatty tissues. Rats that ingested large quantities of the substance in their diets developed heart lesions.
Bleah. TBA has more fatty tissues than we once did. Yay, Sarah!
… Chicago Tribune article w/ Sarah pic. We are going to learn to like Diet Dr. Pepper.
Whole hog barbecue pitmaster Ricky Parker fuels his 24 hour work schedule with mountain dew. To even out the impact of all that caffeine, he always mixes it with a generous glug of Jack Daniels.
You could easily find more pleasant ways to take on that caffeine.
Yeah, it’s a problem for me that the readily available stimulant that isn’t illegal is also a laxative. The hell with legalizing pot – I want amphetamines!