Are the BHA and BHT Preservatives in Our Food Making Us Sick?

Why Does the U.S. Allow Food Additives that Have Been Banned in Other Countries?

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), very common preservatives, banned in nearly every country worldwide (except in the U.S.), are used in nearly every packaged food in the U.S. Test studies published by the IPCS (International Program for Chemical Safety, URL below) show tissue inflammation, enlargement, and/or growths in 100%, and cancer in 35% of subjects. Why does the U.S. allow this?

The popular documentary titled "Food, Inc.," available now for free at most public libraries in DVD format, further asserts and expounds upon these findings.

Why are these chemicals allowed in foods in our country and not in many other countries?

The answer came during a recent camping trip when I happened to meet a Canadian who was finishing up her PhD in the U.S., and her area of study included the optimization of health care systems. She told me that in one year she would be faced with the decision as to whether she would remain in the U.S. or return to Canada for her career. I commented to her that we have one of the most failed healthcare systems in the world. To that, she replied, "The U.S. does not have a healthcare system. Rather, it is a 'Sickness System' where the system thrives on people being sick. Far more profit is generated by sickness than health."

I advised her that I was a writer, and asked her permission to take notes, to which she affirmed but would not permit me to use her name, indicating that wealthy American businesses go after anyone who poses a threat to their profits regardless of how factual their information is.

"First of all," she said, "unlike the U.S., Canada does not allow foods on grocery shelves that are proven to be toxic to consumers," referring to the numerous preservatives and other additives in processed American foods. "Thus, we have far fewer sick people per equivalent population sample than you have in the U.S.. This is one of many reasons why our healthcare costs are a fraction of yours, on an equivalent population basis."