Mountain Dew Causes Infertility, But Makes You Flame Proof? Fair Trade ++
Talk about one in the fair trade department. Remember all those warnings back in the day about how Mountain Dew kills sperm? Yeah, me too. Didn’t stop me, and I’ve since gone on to replace 90% of my body’s blood with the substance. What I didn’t know, and hasn’t been revealed today is that it has made me flame proof. Flame proof! Sort of. I’m about to become a Darwin award.
If you’ve ever slammed a Mountain Dew or similar citrus-flavored soda during a marathon gaming session, you may want to step back and re-evaluate what you’re putting into your body. A new feature published at iwatchnews.org reveals the history and potential health risks of brominated vegetable oil, otherwise known as BVO, a banned-in-Europe emulsifier that is also used in flame retardants.
In addition to Mountain Dew, the article reports that Squirt, Fanta Orange, Sunkist Pineapple, Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange, Powerade Strawberry Lemonade or Fresca Original Citrus all contain BVO. It goes on to explain BVO:
Brominated vegetable oil, which is derived from soybean or corn, contains bromine atoms, which weigh down the citrus flavoring so it mixes with sugar water, or in the case of flame retardants, slows down chemical reactions that cause a fire.
Brominated flame retardants lately are under intense scrutiny because research has shown that they are building up in people’s bodies, including breast milk, around the world. Designed to slow the spread of flames, they are added to polystyrene foam cushions used in upholstered furniture and children’s products, as well as plastics used in electronics. Research in animals as well as some human studies have found links to impaired neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.
Sure, it’s not really news that Mountain Dew contains ingredients that aren’t exactly healthy, but the fact that people are drinking the same compound that is regularly used to make upholstery flame retardant seems worth noting.
Flame on! Or off. Or something. Most likely just some horrible tumor from all of my consumption!, but at least I’ve gotten to Divine the Eyes of the Gods.