Potassium Bromate and Its Effects

     Potassium Bromate is an ingredient added to breads to help the dough hold together and rise higher. After the goods are baked, Potassium Bromate, or KBrO_3, is a white, powdery substance. It is consumed almost daily by Americans across the nation with most likely no idea that their bread may contain a serious health risking additive. After many extensive studies, very similar conclusions have been made about Potassium Bromate and its effect on the human body. Bromate was first found to cause tumors in rats during a study in 1982. During these trials on rats and mice, it was confirmed that the use of KBrO₃ causes tumors of the kidney, thyroid, and in other organs. (http://www.cspinet.org/new/bromate.html). These effects aren’t found only in rats or mice, but also impact human life.  KBrO₃ induces mutations, alters gene expression, leading to cancer (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/12/204). Even with the International Agency for Research on Cancer stating that potassium bromate is possibly cancerous to humans, it has not been banned in the United States. Bakery’s goal is to bake the potassium bromate out of the goods, but this is not necessarily always happening. Therefore, with tests done and data gathered showing the potential for negative results, the FDA should make regulations to ensure the Potassium Bromate is in no danger to the people. 

Another great source to look at for more information is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1567851/. It includes all of the side effects on KBrO3. 

Amanda Dotson