Additives	Function	Natural or Synthetic	Year Banned	Problem
Agene (nitrogen trichloride)	flour bleaching and aging agent	synthetic	1949	dogs that ate bread made from treated flour suffered epileptic-like fits; the toxic agent was methionine sulfoxime
Artificial Colouring
Butter yellow	artificial coloring	synthetic	1919	toxic, later found to cause liver cancer
Green 1	artificial coloring	synthetic	1965	liver cancer
Green 2	artificial coloring	synthetic	1965	insufficient economic importance to be tested
Orange 1	artificial coloring	synthetic	1956	organ damage
Orange 2	artificial coloring	synthetic	1960	organ damage
Orange B	artificial coloring	synthetic	1978	(ban never finalized) cancer
Red 1	artificial coloring	synthetic	1961	liver cancer
Red 2	artificial coloring	synthetic	1976	possible carcinogen
Red 4	artificial coloring	synthetic	1976	high levels damaged adrenal cortex of dog; after 1965 it was used only in maraschino cherries and certain pills; it is still allowed in externally applied drugs and cosmetics
Red 32	artificial coloring	synthetic	1976	damages internal organs and may be a weak carcinogen; since 1956 it continues to be used under the name Citrus Red 2 only to color oranges (2 ppm)
Red 32	artificial coloring	synthetic	1956	damages internal organs and may be a weak carcinogen; since 1956 it continues to be used under the name Citrus Red 2 only to color oranges (2 ppm)
Sudan 1	artificial coloring	synthetic	1919	toxic, later found to be carcinogenic
Violet 1	artificial coloring	synthetic	1973	cancer (it had been used to stamp the US Department of Agriculture’s inspection mark on beef carcasses)
Yellow 1 and 2	artificial coloring	synthetic	1959	intestinal lesions at high dosages
Yellow 3	artificial coloring	synthetic	1959	heart damage at high dosages
Yellow 4	artificial coloring	synthetic	1959	heart damage at high dosages
cinnamyl anthranilate	artificial coloring	synthetic	1982	liver cancer
cobalt salts	stabilize beer foam	synthetic	1966	toxic effects on heart
coumarin	flavoring	tonka bean	1954	liver poison
cyclamate	artificial sweetener	synthetic	1970	bladder cancer, damage to testes; now not thought to cause cancer directly, but to increase the potency of other carcinogens
diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC)	preservative (beverages)	synthetic	1972	combines with ammonia to form urethane, a carcinogen
monochloroacetic acid	preservatives	synthetic	1941	highly toxic
nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA)	antioxidant	desert plant	1968 (FDA), 1971 (USDA)	kidney damage
oil of calamus	flavoring	root of calamus	1968	intestinal cancer
polyoxyethylene-8-stearate (Myrj 45)	emulsifier	synthetic	1952	high levels caused bladder stones and tumors
safrole	flavoring (root beer)	sassafras	1960	liver cancer

The material in this article is provided for informational purposes only. For specific medical advice or diagnosis, consult a healthcare provider.