Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)

BVO keeps citrus flavoring from separating in drinks like Mountain Dew and Sun Drop. It contains bromine — the same element in flame retardants — and accumulates in body tissue. The FDA proposed banning it in November 2023, and California banned it effective 2027. It's been banned in the EU and Japan for decades. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola removed BVO from most products in 2014 after public outcry, but it persisted in some regional brands. The FDA's 2023 proposed ban (finalized 2024) cited studies showing thyroid damage, heart damage, and behavioral changes in animals. It took 54 years from the first safety concerns (1970) to a proposed ban.