The Dangers Of Sodium Saccharin

Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg synthesized sodium saccharin, better known as saccharin, in 1878. By the end of the 1880s, large-scale production began. Controversy immediately attached itself to this chemical, largely in response to fears of adulterated foods occasioned by the publication of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle." These controversies never quite went away. They make it difficult to put the potential dangers of saccharin in perspective.

Chemistry

Saccharin, also known as benzoic sulfimide, is a relatively simple molecule with a molecular weight of 183.18. This white crystalline powder is 300 times sweeter than sugar. Its high solubility in water makes it useful in soft drinks, juices, coffee and other foods such as chewing gum and diet candy.

Rat Studies

Studies in laboratory rats during the early 1970s linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer, resulting in a Congressional mandate that all food containing saccharin bear a warning label. Subsequent studies, such as one published in the 1996 journal "Pharmacology and Therapeutics," showed that this concern might be overstated. The authors of this study claim that "sodium saccharin produces bladder tumors consistently in male rats only after lifetime exposure that begins at birth."

Primate Studies

An article appearing in the January 1998 "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" explored whether the possible dangers observed in rats could be found in primates. Researchers fed 20 monkeys 25 mg of saccharin per kg body weight every day, starting 24 hours after the money was born. No increased incidence of cancer was noted even in monkeys who were studied for 24 years. The results from this non-human primate study are comparable to other studies in humans.

Law

In 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Toxicology Program declared that saccharin was not carcinogenic. In 2001, the FDA declared that saccharin was safe for consumption. In December, 2010, the EPA declared that this chemical was no longer on its "List of Hazardous Constituents and Hazardous Wastes" or " List of Hazardous Substances." Food manufacturers no longer have to place a warning label on foods containing saccharin because this chemical is no longer considered dangerous.