The recall of 28 million boxes of Kellogg's cereals on June 25 was just one more reminder that we are surrounded by chemicals that may or may not be safe for us.
Kellogg says the cause for the recall was a chemical called 2-methylnaphthalene. It was in the packaging, and gave the cereal a bad taste and smell. Some consumers experienced nausea and diarrhea after eating cereal from the contaminated boxes.
Is 2-methylnaphthalene safe for human contact and consumption? Well, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) isn't really sure.
They have no information as to how this chemical might impact human health. Neither does the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), though they've been asking the chemical industry for years about this substance.
Yet there it is in cereal boxes.
About 80,000 chemicals are being used in U.S. consumer products. The FDA isn't up on most of them.
How has this situation come about?
The Toxic Substances Control Act passed in 1976 exempted a whopping 62,000 chemicals from government regulation. As it happens, 2-methylnaphthalene was one of these favored chemicals. New chemicals don't need to be evaluated for safety either.
The FDA trusts companies to regulate themselves and inform the FDA if the companies think the government should know anything.
On the basis of this voluntary data from companies looking out for their own self-interest and their own bottom line, the FDA would then decide whether or not to take a look at anything.
The FDA does not have direct knowledge about 2-methylnaphthalene but they do know about the toxicity of its sibling, methylnaphthalene. Methylnaphthalene comes from crude oil and coal tar.
The EPA says that methylnaphthalene is a byproduct of combustion by coal, petroleum-based fuels, tobacco and wood. Methylnaphthalene has been produced and used in the U.S. since 1986 or earlier.
In 1998 the EPA asked companies such as BP, Chevron, Exxon, Fina Oil, Mobil Oil, Phillips Petroleum, Shell and Sunoco, to submit basic safety data on 2-methylnaphthalene. As of yet, no data has been submitted.
The FDA knows alot about another relative, naphthalene. Naphthalene is used to make mothballs and toilet deodorizers. The EPA calls naphthalene a potential carcinogen for human beings.
Kellogg emphasizes that 2-methylnaphthalene is used to make a wax-like coating used on its package liners, and says this substance has been approved by the FDA.
But in a letter sent to Kellogg, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said, "At least one study has shown that 2-methylnaphthalene may cause lung injuries in adults. There are no studies indicating whether children are more susceptible to this chemical."
The Committee wants Kellogg to "identify, address and prevent hazardous chemicals, such as 2-methylnaphthalene," and they want to see all company policies and procedures dealing with whether or not this chemical is a hazard.
The Committee wants to see all policies and procedures for dealing with tainted product and all documentation connected with 2-methylnaphthalene and the recalled cereals.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wants this by August 16.
Kellogg's guess is that the 2-methylnaphthalene was in the foil-lined bags. If the foil was heated too much when sealing the bag, or if the adhesive that seals it wasn't made correctly, then 2-methylnaphthalene could be created.
The FDA says it should not be in food. Well, that is a comfort. But it was.
The FDA says it is a rare occurrence for food to be contaminated by chemicals used on the packaging.
But , how does the FDA know this? When they have such limited knowledge about chemicals being used, when producers of these chemicals are allowed to tell the FDA what they want when they want ... how can anyone know this?
David Andrews is a senior scientist with the advocacy organization Environmental Working Group. Andrews said, "In this case, it had an odor and it had a taste, so it was detected. But there are hundreds of other potential impurities that we can't smell and taste, chemicals that we know very little about and the government knows little about."
Jane Houlihan, vice president of Environmental Working Group said, “There are potentially many thousands of chemicals that could leach out of these materials into our food.”
Resources:
U.S. regulators lack data on health risks of most chemicals
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/01/AR2010080103469.html?hpid
FDA Doesn't Know If Chemicals Found in Foods are Dangerous
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/08/fda-doesnt-know-if-chemicals-found-in-foods-are-dangerous/
Congress demands answers from Kellogg after tainted-packaging recall
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Product-Categories/Cleaning-Safety-Hygiene/Congress-demands-answers-from-Kellogg-after-tainted-packaging-recall
Petrochemical Blamed for Kellogg's Cereal Recall
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2010/07/petrochemical-responsible-for-kelloggs-cereal-recall.aspx
Petrochemical Identified in Recalled Kellogg's Cereals
http://www.ewg.org/Petrochemical_Identified_In_Recalled_Kellogg's_Cereal
Public Health Statement for Naphthalene, 1-Methylnaphthalene, and 2-Methylnaphthalene
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Public_Health_Statement_for_Naphthalene,_1-Methylnaphthalene,_and_2-Methylnaphthalene#What_are_naphthalene.2C_1-methylnaphthalene.2C_and_2-methylnaphthalene.3F
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