Acrolein
Level 4 — Significant concernsIn Winter's Dictionary
Acrolein is a other — By-product of petroleum oxidation during cooking; food contaminant
What it does
By-product of petroleum oxidation during cooking; food contaminant
Where you'll see it
Generated during ripening of fruit and some cheeses, caviar, lamb, salted pork, raw/cooked poultry, cocoa beans, chocolate liquor, molasses, alcoholic fermentation, coffee, tea; released when cellophane/polystyrene heated
What the research says
Upper respiratory tract and eye irritant in humans. WHO: respiratory rate reduced in volunteers; coughing, nasal irritation, chest pain, difficulty breathing. Exposure above 20 mg/m3 may be lethal. Direct skin/eye contact can produce necrosis, swelling, redness, rashes. May interfere with vitamin metabolism.
Regulatory status
- US FDA: NUL
- Notes: Listed as cancer-causing agent by Environmental Defense Fund
Sources
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): Acrolein is an upper respiratory tract and eye irritant in humans...Exposure to concentrations above 20 mg/m3 may be lethal