It’s no secret that the US has been on a massive chemical arms race in recent years, with countries such as China, Russia, India and others all developing their own arsenals of toxic chemicals.
Now, according to The Daily Mail, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has added a new ingredient to its food supply which could pose a serious threat to public health.
Aluminum sulfate, which is a by-product of aluminum smelting, is a potent carcinogen, which can cause severe birth defects and other health problems, according the Daily Mail.
It has also been linked to cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The news outlet wrote that the USDA’s move to label the additive aluminum sulfite is part of an “increasing trend to label ingredients, especially food ingredients, as ‘safe’ or ‘good’ or even ‘good enough’,” according to the Mail.
The new ingredient was named aluminum sulfide, and it is added to foods including pizza, baked goods, crackers, pizza sauce, bread and other food products.
According to the FDA, the additive is currently listed as an “irritant”, a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) food ingredient, and is “generously used in foods.”
However, the news outlet added that “the agency’s new label could be even more worrisome as it is unlikely that it will be able to control the use of aluminum sulfites by consumers who consume foods containing it.”
Aluminum is a known carcinogen that can cause birth defects, and other chronic illnesses, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The US Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the new aluminum sulfidation label.
If it’s approved, the new ingredient could potentially affect the food supply in the US, as many other countries have also started to label food ingredients as GRAS.
The FDA said in a statement that it has already approved the new chemical as an approved food additive.
The agency did not specify which food products could be affected by the label, and did not give any details on how the new food additive might be added to food.