Red Dye 40 - the basics
So, I started a post about our latest turn in the escapade that is Red Dye 40 when I realized that I hadn't said anything here about it. After throwing up a post with a few links in it (since deleted) I decided I would start over and from the beginning. This is too important a topic to be throwing out haphazard links without context. So, here it is.
I probably lost most of you with "Red Dye 40", but if you stuck with me, I promise to make this as informative and helpful as I can (over the course of a few posts). There isn't much entertainment value here, but there is the potential that the issue of Red 40 has already crept or could creep into your life and extended family, so if you can spare a minute, I'll get right to it and you can decide for yourself.
What is this Red 40 business? FD&C Red 40 (also called Allura Red AC) is an artificial coloring added to a whole bunch of food and some drugs and cosmetics (that's where the f, d & c come from). Answers.com has some basic information on it, and provides a good quick summary of the dye and some of the issues surrounding it. Those issues are:
- That Red 40 is a carcinogen. While many sites, including Answers.com, state that this is an historical concern that has since been dismissed, I'm not so sure the cancer issue isn't as cut and dried as some would like to portray.
- That Red 40 causes an allergic reaction, such as hives. This isn't recognized by the FDA.
- That Red 40 causes behavioral reactions, such as hyperactivity. This isn't recognized by the FDA, though has been the focus of many studies, some more recent than the tests that "cleared" Red Dye 40 for the FDA.
My goal in blogging about my experience with M and what I've found on the web is to try and pull a slew of resources together in a coherent manner. What I've found in my surfing is a whole community of people desperate for information and screaming to get their stories heard. I've found a lot of interesting and useful information, some frustrating information (wait until I get to my FDA links), and some misinformation or if not exactly misinformation at least some leaping conclusions. There is a disconnect between the people searching for information and the good information that's out there. At least there seems to be, considering how much digging and googling I've had to do to find the good stuff.
Hopefully you or a family member or a friend will find some use in my effort. At the very least it'll channel some of my frustration in this whole escapade.
Comments
Hi,
I think the best resource for your list is the Feingold Association's website: www.feingold.org