Did You Eat Your Butylated Hydroxytoluene Today? (Hint: It’s in Your Wheaties)
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and its cousin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), are both common food and cosmetic ingredients that you’ve likely never heard of. Though they differ in origin (BHT is made from phenols, while BHA is made from butanol), they share a common origin in that they are refined from coal tar and other fossil fuel sources. Both have antioxidant abilities and trap free radicals, though in this case those terms mean that they are able to stabilize products like jet fuel and embalming fluid.
Why is jet fuel stabilizer in your cereal?
In addition to its uses as a stabilizer in petroleum products, BHT has long been used as an additive to breakfast cereals to prevent oxidation. This is what the Material Safety Data Sheet has to say about BHT, “Chronic Potential Health Effects: Ingestion: Prolonged or repeated ingestion may affect the liver, kidneys, thyroid, adrenal gland, behavior/central nervous system and learning ability, blood (reduced ability to clot), and may cause weight loss. Ingestion or skin contact may also cause allergic reaction (dermatitis, asthma).”
Because BHT and BHA are chemically similar, many manufacturers use them more or less interchangeably. In fact, some products actually contain both of the compounds to in combination to take advantage of different properties (BHA prevents fat from going rancid). As for BHA’s healthfulness? The Huffington Post reported, “BHA is an approved food additive and is also considered “possibly carcinogenic to humans (category 2B)”[pdf] by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). And the European Commission has placed BHA as a category 1 potential endocrine disruptor [pdf] based on evidence that it interferes with hormone function in at least one living organism.”
BHT and BHA are everywhere
So other than breakfast, where can we find these joyous little compounds? The answer, unfortunately, is just about everywhere. Check your kitchen; lard, butter, potato chips, cereal, instant foods (mashed potatoes, etc.), beef jerky and other preserved meat, beer, baked snacks (Ho-ho’s and ding-dongs, to name two), powdered drink mixes, powdered dessert mixes, chewing gum – even your wax paper has a least one of the two in it.
Chronic exposure is likely to be carcinogenic, and chronic exposure is far more likely to occur where these chemicals are most prevalent. When they are in everything we eat (and have eaten for years), it’s far less likely that your loved one’s cancer diagnosis was just unlucky. If your loved one developed a medical condition after years of using a contaminated or defective product, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced South Carolina defective product attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC can evaluate your case and help get you the compensation you deserve. For a free consultation, call 803-327-7800 or contact us today.
Randy is the former President of the South Carolina Association for Justice. He has been certified by the American Board of Professional Liability as a specialist in Medical Malpractice Law which is recognized by the South Carolina Bar. Randy has also been awarded the distinction of being a “Super Lawyer” 10 times in the last decade. He has over 25 years of experience helping injured people fight back against corporations, hospitals and wrong-doers.
Read more about S. Randall Hood