Processed Meats Harbor Cancer-Linked Preservatives
Your favorite bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats hide a dark secret that most people never think about when grabbing lunch. Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are chemicals added by manufacturers to processed or cured meat products, like deli meats, hot dogs, jerky, sausages and bacon. These food additives are included for a variety of reasons: to add color or shine, stabilize artificial flavors and extend shelf life. But here’s what’s really unsettling – when these chemicals react with proteins in your body, they form something much more dangerous.
Nitrites form nitrosamines, which can damage DNA and cause cancer. Processed meats have been linked to an increased risk of rectal cancer and there’s some evidence that processed meats may raise your risk for stomach cancer, according to MD Anderson. Sodium nitrate was approved for use in 1958 and has not been reevaluated since 1984. It may be harmful to the reproductive system and an increased risk of cancer. The really crazy part? Norway and Sweden have already banned its use, yet American families eat it daily.
Breakfast Cereals Contain Suspected Carcinogens
That innocent bowl of cereal your kids love might be delivering more than just vitamins and minerals. Butylated hydroxytoluene, also called BHT, is a preservative found in cereals and other foods. It’s a chemical cousin of BHA and is a possible human carcinogen. Most people have no idea they’re consuming these synthetic antioxidants with their morning milk.
BHT was last evaluated in 1977. The chemical has been linked to a higher risk of cancer, endocrine disruption and harm to the kidneys, blood, liver and lungs. What’s particularly concerning is how long it’s been since these chemicals received proper safety reviews. Your cereal box might look wholesome, but inside lurks a preservative that hasn’t been thoroughly evaluated for nearly five decades. But more than 10,000 chemicals, some of which are potentially toxic, are allowed in cereal, snacks, meat and many other types of food sold in the U.S. Almost 99 percent of food chemicals introduced since 2000 were greenlighted for use by food and chemical companies rather than properly reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.
Carbonated Drinks Mix Dangerous Chemical Cocktails
Your refreshing soda or energy drink might be creating cancer-causing compounds right in the bottle. Sodium benzoate is a preservative used mostly in carbonated drinks, fruit juice, salad dressing and fermented foods. When combined with ascorbic acid, citric acid and vitamin C, it has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. The reaction between sodium benzoate and any of these three compounds forms benzene, a chemical associated with blood cancer.
The terrifying reality is that this toxic reaction happens automatically when certain ingredients meet. You’re not just drinking a preservative – you’re consuming a chemical reaction that produces benzene, a known blood cancer agent. Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, is used to stabilize citrus flavors in sodas and fruity drinks. It can cause neurological and reproductive harm and thyroid toxicity. Even worse, these chemicals accumulate in your body tissue over time, building up with every sip.
Fresh Produce Carries Invisible Pesticide Loads
Even the healthiest foods on your plate aren’t as clean as they appear. For 2024, EWG researchers examined testing data on 47,510 samples of 46 nonorganic fruits and vegetables, with the majority of testing from the USDA. An analysis of that data found traces of 254 pesticides in all fruits and vegetables analyzed, with 209 of those chemicals on produce in the “Dirty Dozen” list.
EWG assessed data from pesticide residue tests conducted by the USDA on 53,692 samples of 47 fruits and vegetables. Before they’re tested, the produce samples are peeled or scrubbed and washed. Even after this preparation, the tests found traces of 265 pesticides and their breakdown products on all fruit and vegetables tested, of which 203 were on Dirty Dozen produce. Another example: chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to brain damage in children and fetuses. The American Academy of Pediatrics joined EWG in 2017 protesting the EPA’s continued approval of the chemical. The fact that washing and scrubbing can’t remove these chemicals shows just how deeply they penetrate our food system.
Potatoes Hide Post-Harvest Chemical Treatments
That innocent potato in your pantry underwent chemical treatment you never knew about. New data were also available for potatoes, nearly 90 percent of which contain an agricultural chemical, chlorpropham, applied after harvest to prevent sprouting. The European Union ended its approval of chlorpropham in 2019, following a 2017 assessment that found risks to consumers and workers from its use and presence on food, primarily potatoes.
Here’s what makes this particularly disturbing – this chemical gets applied after the potato is harvested, meaning it’s intentionally added to prevent natural sprouting processes. European regulators determined the risks were too high for their citizens, yet American consumers continue eating treated potatoes daily. The chemical essentially tricks the potato into staying “fresh” longer by disrupting its natural biological processes, and those same compounds end up in your body.
Baked Goods Contain Flour “Improvers” Banned Elsewhere
Potassium bromate is a possible human carcinogen added to flour used in packaged baked goods. Walk down any bakery aisle and you’re surrounded by products made with this dangerous additive. Foods made with ingredients that California is banning include hamburger buns (potassium bromate), orange soda (brominated vegetable oil), candy, and corn tortillas (propylparaben). On Oct. 7, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act, the first law in the U.S. to ban four harmful chemicals from being used as additives in foods sold and produced in the state. Those chemicals are brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red Dye No.
Potassium bromate is a flour “improver,” added to strengthen dough, make baked goods rise higher in the oven, and enhance their texture. The irony is stunning – this chemical makes bread look and feel better while potentially damaging your DNA. California had to be the first state to take action because federal regulators continue allowing it, despite mounting evidence of cancer risks.
Food Packaging Leaches “Forever Chemicals” Into Your Meals
In February 2024, the FDA announced that all grease-proofing agents containing PFAS are no longer being sold in the U.S., and in January 2025, the FDA issued a Notice in the Federal Register announcing its determination that the 35 food contact notifications (FCNs) related to PFAS-containing food contact substances as grease-proofers applied to paper and paperboard food packaging are no longer effective based on the abandonment of these uses. In February 2024, the FDA announced that grease-proofing substances containing PFAS are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food contact use in the U.S. market. The completion of the voluntary market phase-out of these substances used on food packaging paper and paperboard, eliminates the primary source of dietary exposure to PFAS from authorized food contact uses.
While this sounds like good news, the reality is more complex. First, the structure of PFAS means they resist breakdown in the environment and in our bodies. Second, they move relatively quickly through the environment, making their contamination hard to contain. In 2014 and 2015, Andrews was among a team of scientists who collected and tested for PFAS on more than 300 samples of sandwich and pastry wrappers, french fry bags, pizza boxes, and other paper and paperboard from fast food chains and local restaurants from across the U.S. Of the samples, 40 percent tested positive for fluorine, a likely indicator of PFAS. When people eat food from PFAS-coated wrappers, they may be putting these toxic chemicals directly into their bodies. The heat and grease from foods like french fries can make it more likely PFAS will be transferred from the wrapper to the food people consume.
Pastries and Tortillas Contain Hormone-Disrupting Preservatives
Propyl paraben is a preservative used in pastries and some tortillas. It causes developmental and reproductive harm. This chemical lurks in seemingly innocent foods that families eat regularly, yet most people have never heard of it. What makes this particularly concerning is that it specifically targets your body’s hormone systems.
The hormone disruption from propyl paraben can affect everything from fertility to child development. Foods made with ingredients that California is banning include hamburger buns (potassium bromate), orange soda (brominated vegetable oil), candy, and corn tortillas (propylparaben). Think about how often you or your family eat tortillas, pastries, or similar baked goods. Each time could mean exposure to chemicals that interfere with natural hormone function, potentially affecting reproductive health and normal development in children.
Candy Contains DNA-Damaging Color Additives
Titanium dioxide is a color additive used mostly in candy. It may damage DNA. That bright white coloring in your favorite sweets isn’t as innocent as it looks. This chemical makes candy appear more appealing by creating that perfect, artificial brightness, but the cost might be genetic damage.
DNA damage is particularly serious because it can lead to mutations that cause cancer or get passed to future generations. A fifth chemical, titanium dioxide, was dropped from the bill during the legislative process. Even though California considered banning it, political pressure forced them to remove it from their groundbreaking food safety legislation. Your favorite candy continues containing a substance that European regulators have already restricted due to safety concerns.
Pesticides Now Contain “Forever Chemicals” as Active Ingredients
The researchers, associated with environmental advocacy groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), and the Environmental Working Group, found that 66 active ingredients currently approved for use in pesticides qualify as PFAS, and eight approved “inert” ingredients – added to pesticides to help the chemical disperse, for example – also qualify as PFAS.
However, a new study takes a closer look at yet another, little studied avenue of possible exposure – the existence of PFAS in pesticides used in both agricultural and residential pest control, including pet flea treatments. “This is really the first study in the US to comprehensively look at how pesticides can be contributing to global PFAS contamination,” said Alexis Temkin, coauthor of the study published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The PFAS pesticides are also used in flea treatments for pets and insect-killing sprays in homes, according to the research conducted by scientists at EWG, the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility in Silver Spring, Maryland. “One pesticide listed in (the paper) was fipronil. This is in specific flea/tick products that can be applied to pets! This means PFAS exposure isn’t just from packaging anymore – it’s built into the pesticides themselves.
