Preservatives, food dyes, packaging migrants, carcinogens formed during cooking and restaurant food preparation.
37 chemicals in this category
2,4-D is one of the world's most widely used herbicides, killing broadleaf weeds while sparing grasses. It has been used in domestic lawns and gardens since the 1940s. The IARC classified it as a possible human carcin…
Acrolein is a highly reactive, acrid aldehyde generated when vegetable oils are heated to or beyond their smoke point. It is the compound responsible for the harsh, throat-catching fumes from a burning or overheated p…
Acrylamide is a chemical that forms naturally in starchy foods during high-temperature cooking — frying, roasting, baking, or toasting. It was first detected in food in 2002 and has since become one of the most studie…
Aflatoxins are a family of naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus moulds that infect peanuts, maize, tree nuts, spices, and dried fruits, particularly in warm, humid …
When polyunsaturated vegetable oils are heated to frying temperatures, their omega-6 linoleic acid chains oxidise and fragment to produce a complex mixture of volatile and non-volatile aldehydes — including the highly…
Aluminium salts are the active ingredient in antiperspirants — they work by physically blocking sweat glands. Concerns centre on systemic absorption through underarm skin, particularly where skin is damaged by shaving…
Rice accumulates inorganic arsenic from soil and water more efficiently than any other major food crop, due to the flooded paddy conditions under which it is grown. It is the single largest dietary source of inorganic…
Artificial sweeteners — including aspartame (E951), sucralose (E955), saccharin (E954), acesulfame K (E950), and cyclamate (E952) — are synthetic compounds hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than sugar, used to sw…
Azo dyes are a large family of synthetic colorants characterised by one or more azo groups (-N=N-). Six specific azo food dyes — sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tar…
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA, E320) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, E321) are synthetic phenolic antioxidants added to fats, oils, and fat-containing foods to prevent rancidity. BHA is classified as a possible hum…
BPA is one of the most studied endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the world. It mimics oestrogen and has been found in the urine of over 90% of the general population in studies across Europe and the US. The "BPA-Free"…
Bisphenol S (BPS) was adopted as the primary replacement for bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins following the regulatory and consumer backlash against BPA. Products carrying "BPA-free" labels…
Bisphenol A (BPA) has been used since the 1950s to make epoxy resin linings for metal food cans — a thin coating that prevents corrosion and preserves food quality. These linings migrate BPA directly into canned food,…
Cocoa plants efficiently accumulate cadmium from soil into their beans — and the darker and purer the chocolate, the higher the cadmium concentration. Dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and raw cacao products marketed for …
Chlorinated paraffins are a family of synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbons produced in enormous quantities (over 1 million tonnes per year globally) as flame retardants, plasticisers, and extreme-pressure lubricant addi…
Chlorothalonil was one of the most widely used fungicides in UK gardens and agriculture, applied to lawn turf to prevent fusarium patch and dollar spot disease, to vegetables to prevent blight, and to ornamental plant…
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide that has been widely used in agriculture, gardens, and homes since the 1960s. It works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme essential for nerve function. Decades…
Copper-based fungicides — including Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate + slaked lime), copper hydroxide, and copper oxychloride — have been used in horticulture and agriculture for over 150 years and represent one of t…
Dental amalgam is a filling material composed of approximately 50% elemental mercury bound with silver, tin, and copper. When amalgam fillings are in the mouth, they continuously release small amounts of mercury vapou…
Dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) are unintentional persistent by-products of industrial combustion, waste incineration, and chlorine bleaching. Thoug…
Energy drinks are among the most chemically complex beverages in the food supply — combining high synthetic caffeine doses with taurine, glucuronolactone, B vitamin megadoses, artificial sweeteners, artificial colours…
Glufosinate-ammonium is a non-selective contact herbicide used in consumer garden weedkiller products — positioned as a "glyphosate alternative" following consumer and retail pressure to reduce glyphosate use. It kill…
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide on earth. It is the active ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of equivalent products. IARC classified it as a probable human carcinogen in 2015. Internal Monsanto documents…
Glyphosate is the world's most widely sold herbicide and the active ingredient in Roundup and dozens of other consumer garden products sold in UK garden centres. It kills plants by inhibiting EPSPS, an enzyme in the s…
Protein powders — whey, casein, soy, pea, rice, hemp, and blend formulations — are consumed daily by a large proportion of gym-going men and teenagers who use them to support muscle growth. The heavy metal contaminati…
Protein powders — whey, casein, pea, hemp, rice, and soy — are consumed daily by millions of gym-goers, athletes, and health-conscious individuals seeking to increase dietary protein. Multiple independent laboratory a…
Microplastics are particles of plastic less than 5 mm in size, including nanoplastics smaller than 1 micrometre. The kitchen is one of the highest-density zones of microplastic release in the home — scratched non-stic…
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by moulds (fungi) that contaminate food and animal feed. They are among the most widespread food contaminants globally, affecting an estimated 25% of the world's foo…
Neonicotinoids are a class of systemic insecticides that act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects, causing paralysis and death. They are the most widely used insecticides globally. They are water-solubl…
Sodium nitrate (E251) and sodium nitrite (E250) are added to processed and cured meats as preservatives, colour fixatives, and to prevent Clostridium botulinum growth. In the acidic environment of the stomach and at h…
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large family of organic compounds formed during incomplete combustion of organic material — particularly fossil fuels, biomass, and tobacco. In urban transport settings, t…
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a family of brominated flame retardants added to foam furniture, mattresses, carpets, electronics, and vehicle components to slow fire spread. Banned or phased out across the…
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of 209 persistent organochlorine compounds manufactured between the 1930s and 1970s for use as electrical insulating fluids, hydraulic oils, and flame retardants. They wer…
Perchlorate is an inorganic anion that inhibits iodide uptake by the thyroid gland with remarkable efficiency, reducing the raw material available for thyroid hormone synthesis. It is present in drinking water, leafy …
PFAS are a family of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals defined by their extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds — the strongest in organic chemistry. This is why they do not break down: in the environment, or in the huma…
The "Southampton Six" are a group of artificial food colours identified in a landmark 2007 University of Southampton clinical trial as causing measurable increases in hyperactive behaviour in children when consumed to…
Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most widely used white pigments in the world, present in paints, plastics, cosmetics, and food. As E171 in food, it provides whiteness and opacity in confectionery, chewing gum, b…
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