The Current Online

by Tiffany Ellis

College students are notorious for pulling all-nighters. Juggling school, work, family and a busier than ever social life simply don’t leave enough hours in the day to sleep. Unfortunately, slurping another enormous non-fat, double shot, iced mocha may not be enough. [...]

by Liz Harmon

The holidays have officially arrived, and so have this year’s flu and cold viruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have prepared a vaccination for 2011-2012 that is identical to the one used last year. How effective is the vaccine and what should a consumer consider before getting the shot? [...]

by Alex Greenlee

Heading to Longview westbound on 3^rd Street has caused problems, and it’s not the sheer amount of traffic. It’s a driver’s worst nightmare: When trying to take a left onto View High Drive, drivers are reporting the light not turning green. The light stays red and does not change colors, at all. [...]

Student Keenan Kahler throws away his Coke can after hearing about the caramel color study (Liz Harmon/The Current).

by Liz Harmon

In a study conducted by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), caramel color – the coloring in favorite soda and energy drinks such as Coke, Pepsi, Rockstar and Red Bull – was determined to cause thyroid and lung cancer in mice.

In February 2001, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) submitted a petition to the FDA to ban the artificial colors.

“That’s crazy and awesome. I probably won’t finish my drink,” said student Keenan Kahler.

Over the past decade, the National Toxicology Program has been studying the effects of caramel color in mice and concluded there was clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats and mice. In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization concluded the colors are “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

“It should bother me but it doesn’t. It won’t stop me from drinking soda in the future. Everything is going to kill you, so drink what you want,” said student Nicholas Meireis, student. Student Farah Hussain said the information was interesting but not enough to change his drinking habits.  “No matter what we know, we still drink it. I’m addicted to it.”

Artificial coloring is used to offset color that is lost due to certain environmental conditions, such as temperature and storage conditions. They are also used to help make food appealing and “ fun.”

There are four different color types of caramel; caramel I, II, III and IV. Caramel colors III and IV are produced using ammonia. The FDA does not require the colors to be listed as such, but at minimum as “ caramel” or “color.”

“I always thought it was just a color. I probably won’t drink it again,”  said student Tara Thomas.

Caramel color is produced chemically using certain acids, alkalis and salts that are listed under the FDA Code of Regulations Title 21, as long as the amounts are consistent with good manufacturing practice. One of the alkalis used in this process is ammonium hydroxide also known as “ammonia,” a common ingredient found in cleaning agents.

During the caramelization process, when carbohydrates and ammonia are heated together they produce a by-product. Two of those by-products made from making caramel color are 2- and 4-methylimidazole (2-MI and 4-MI), the by-products that caused the cancer in the rats and mice. The FDA does not limit the amount of 2- or 4- MI in caramel colorings.

“I would rather have Coke Clear. They should have an option if they are putting 2 and 4 (MI) in it,” said student Michael Howe. Pepsi used to have a caramel color free drink called Crystal Pepsi, which was on the market for one year in 1992.

The State of California has already concluded 4-MI as a carcinogen and have been going through regulatory proceedings that may require cancer-warning labels on food and non-food products. California determined anything about 16 micrograms a day pose a significant risk to consumers.

The CSPI admits that the cancer risk is small, but they still believe that if 2- and 4- MI caused the cancer in rats and mice, there is still a risk in humans. There have not been any human studies and many people believe that the warning was an unnecessary scare tactic.

Student Robert Stokes read about the study and agreed that the study was controversial. He said, “The results, to me, were exaggerated to get public effect. Doctors were graduates not M.D.s There is no reason for concern because the research was performed with the lowest regulations.”

Currently, there are no results to the petition that was filed against the FDA but the CSPI still hopes that people are still aware of the potential risks.