20 things in US food which are banned elsewhere: Pesticides, Roundup, PFAS, BHA, Growth hormone, antibiotics, etc.

Most evidence comes from: rivm

Animal carcinogenicity studies
Relative risk estimates from small human studies
Case reports of acute toxicity
Mechanistic/cellular studies

Top 20 Substances Ranked by Health Impact Evidence

Tier 1: Strongest Evidence of Serious Health Harm

1. Atrazine (herbicide)

Status: Banned in EU (2004) and 44+ countries; 70+ million pounds used annually in US news.vumc
Health effects: WHO IARC classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (2025); birth defects (gastroschisis with 2x risk); breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers; endocrine disruption; reproductive harm biologicaldiversity
Why ranked #1: Recent WHO cancer classification, widespread environmental contamination affecting 40+ million Americans' drinking water, strong epidemiological evidence

2. Chlorpyrifos (organophosphate pesticide)

Status: Banned in EU and Australia; US EPA banned 2021 but reversed 2023 newsroom.ucla
Health effects: 2.5x increased Parkinson's disease risk with long-term exposure; severe developmental neurotoxicity with brain abnormalities in prenatally exposed children; IQ reduction, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders jamanetwork
Why ranked #2: Strong human epidemiological data on neurological disease, particularly devastating effects on children's brain development

3. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)

Status: More restricted in EU than US; limited US bans starting 2024
Health effects: PFOA classified as carcinogenic (IARC Group 1), PFOS as possibly carcinogenic (Group 2B); estimated 4,600-6,800 cancer cases annually attributable to PFAS in US drinking water; kidney, testicular, colorectal, liver cancers; diabetes; thyroid dysfunction med.stanford
Why ranked #3: One of few additives/contaminants with actual disease burden calculations showing thousands of annual cancer cases

4. Potassium Bromate

Status: Banned in EU (1990), Canada (1994), India, China, Brazil, 160+ countries usrtk
Health effects: IARC "possibly carcinogenic to humans"; renal cell tumors, thyroid follicular tumors, mesotheliomas in animals; complete carcinogen with both initiating and promoting activities pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
Why ranked #4: Found in US bakery products at 42-309 times FDA permissible limits; strong animal carcinogenicity data; banned globally except US pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

5. Glyphosate (herbicide)

Status: More restricted in EU; widely used in US
Health effects: IARC "probable human carcinogen" (2015); new 2025 study shows multiple tumor types including leukemia, liver, ovary, nervous system, thyroid; non-Hodgkin lymphoma association; bioaccumulates in bone marrow near blood-forming stem cells publichealth.gmu
Why ranked #5: Most widely used herbicide globally; mounting evidence of hematologic cancers

Tier 2: Strong Evidence of Cancer or Serious Organ Damage

6. Red Dye No. 3 (Erythrosine)

Status: Banned in US cosmetics (1990), EU food; US food ban effective 2027 healthline
Health effects: Thyroid cancer in rats; endocrine disruption; DNA damage in human liver cells nutritionfacts
Why ranked here: Strong animal carcinogenicity led to Delaney Clause violation; banned by FDA after 35-year delay

7. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)

Status: Banned in EU (2008), Japan, India, UK; US revoked authorization 2024 cspi
Health effects: Thyroid toxicity; neurological damage (memory loss, tremors, nausea, headaches); bioaccumulates in body fat, liver, heart, brain nafdac.gov
Why ranked here: Direct CNS and thyroid damage with documented human cases of bromism

8. Titanium Dioxide (E171)

Status: Banned in EU (2022) yuka
Health effects: DNA damage, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, colorectal cancer promotion; ECHA classified as suspected carcinogen (category 2) when inhaled anr
Why ranked here: Genotoxicity and cancer promotion evidence; widespread use in candies and processed foods

9. rBGH/rBST (recombinant bovine growth hormone)

Status: Banned in EU, Canada, Japan, Australia foodandwatereurope
Health effects: Increases IGF-1 in milk, linked to 7x increased premenopausal breast cancer in some populations; also colon and prostate cancer; increased mastitis requiring antibiotics medindia
Why ranked here: Strong mechanistic link between IGF-1 and multiple cancers

10. Ractopamine

Status: Banned in EU (1996), China, Russia, 160+ countries onsitehealthcorp
Health effects: Cardiovascular effects including tachycardia and blood pressure changes; modeling shows unacceptable cardiovascular disease risk levels; potential to decrease life expectancy journalijar
Why ranked here: Cardiovascular system is target organ with documented adverse effects in humans

Tier 3: Moderate-Strong Evidence of Endocrine Disruption or Organ Toxicity

11. BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)

Status: Banned in EU infant food, restricted elsewhere onsitehealthcorp
Health effects: IARC "reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogen"; forestomach tumors in rats/mice; thyroid damage; neurotoxicity; metabolic disorders onlinelibrary.wiley
Why ranked here: Official carcinogen designation but uncertainty about human forestomach equivalent

12. Propylparaben

Status: Banned in EU (2006); California ban 2027 yuka
Health effects: Endocrine disruption; reproductive toxicity; apoptosis and oxidative stress in human placental cells; may reduce breast cancer protection pubs.acs
Why ranked here: Strong reproductive toxicity evidence; endocrine disruption across multiple studies

13. Azodicarbonamide (ADA)

Status: Banned in EU and Australia foodrevolution
Health effects: Breaks down to urethane (known carcinogen) when baked; induces asthma and respiratory sensitization in workers; WHO confirms asthma induction revolutionnewmedicine
Why ranked here: Definitive respiratory harm but limited cancer data in consumers vs. workers

14. Sodium Nitrite/Potassium Nitrate

Status: More restricted in EU than US
Health effects: Recent large French study found sodium nitrite associated with 32% increased prostate cancer; potassium nitrate with 13% increased overall cancer and 22% increased breast cancer pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih
Why ranked here: New 2026 epidemiological evidence of cancer associations

15. Artificial Food Dyes (Yellow 5/Tartrazine, Yellow 6, Red 40) - Status: EU requires warning labels; no US warning livescience - Health effects: Hyperactivity/ADHD in children with 2007 landmark study; Yellow 5 causes DNA damage at all tested concentrations; allergic reactions amenclinics - Why ranked here: Behavioral effects well-documented; genotoxicity concerning but cancer link weaker than others

Tier 4: Emerging or Moderate Evidence

16. BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)

Status: More restricted in EU than US onsitehealthcorp
Health effects: Suspected endocrine disruptor; tumor promotion in animal studies; concerns about long-term effects
Why ranked here: Similar profile to BHA but slightly weaker evidence

17. Sulfites (Total Sulfites, Potassium Metabisulfite)

Status: EU has stricter limits
Health effects: Recent 2026 French study found total sulfites associated with 12% increased overall cancer; potassium metabisulfite with 11% increased overall cancer and 20% increased breast cancer pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih
Why ranked here: New epidemiological data but mechanism unclear

18. Sorbates (Potassium Sorbate)

Status: Generally recognized as safer preservative but EU has limits
Health effects: 2026 French study found 14% increased overall cancer and 26% increased breast cancer with higher intake pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih
Why ranked here: Surprising recent finding requiring replication

19. Acetates (Acetic Acid)

Status: Natural fermentation product but synthetic versions used
Health effects: 2026 French cohort found 15% increased overall cancer and 25% increased breast cancer with higher acetate intake; 12% increased cancer with acetic acid cnn
Why ranked here: Counterintuitive finding for "natural" preservative; needs mechanistic understanding

20. Growth Hormones in Meat (various)

Status: Banned in EU for animal agriculture
Health effects: Hormonal disruption; potential cancer promotion through hormone-sensitive tumors
Why ranked here: Mechanistic plausibility but limited direct human evidence

Important Contextual Notes

Major Data Gaps: Unlike the foodborne pathogen burden (420,000 deaths/33 million DALYs annually globally according to WHO), there are no comprehensive DALY calculations for most food additives. The WHO acknowledged in 2021 that estimating disease burden from chemical food hazards is "feasible but complicated" and largely understudied. rivm

Dose Matters: Most concerning exposures involve: - Occupational exposure (much higher than consumer levels) - High consumers of specific product categories - Vulnerable populations (pregnant women, children, those with existing conditions)

Mixture Effects: As one researcher noted, "the impact of [chemicals] on the etiology of cancer must be evaluated taking into account the impacts of other chemicals. Exposures to complex mixtures can augment oxidative stress... at doses well-below current safety thresholds". beyondpesticides

Recent Evidence: Multiple large 2025-2026 studies have found food preservatives (sorbates, sulfites, nitrites, acetates) associated with 11-32% increased cancer risks, suggesting we may be underestimating the burden of "safer" additives. cnn

This ranking prioritizes substances with the strongest human epidemiological evidence or those banned globally due to confirmed carcinogenicity, followed by those with strong mechanistic concerns or emerging epidemiological data.

Related in VitaminDWiki

Glyphosate/Roundup

Microplastics