Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL), in a press release, counters the recent statement made by the Minister of Health regarding the treatment of wheat flour with Potassium Bromate, which scientific research has shown to be a mutagen with potential to cause cancer.

Potassium Bromate is a chemical additive used in the bakery industry to improve the quality of products, since it has the faculty of producing a fine crumb-structure in bread. It is used as a texturizer/dough conditioner. A senior government official who wished to remain anonymous argued that Potassium Bromate breaks down rapidly when the dough is fermented and baked, and that this reduces significantly the Bromate in bread. The EFL points out that although this breakdown is considered to be complete, analytical techniques have revealed significant residues of Bromate in bread.

The Health Minister claims that the maximum level of Potassium Bromate deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 70ppm (parts per million) and that in Sri Lanka it is restricted to a mere 7ppm. The present position taken by the WHO, according to the EFL, is that it should not be used in the bakery industry at all, and not to be used as a flour treatment agent. They further claim that the United States FDA considers residues of more than 20 parts per billion, or 0.02ppm to be unsafe.

In California, Potassium Bromate is a listed carcinogen and products containing the substance are required to carry a cancer-warning label. As a result, most bakery products in California are Bromate-free. The above-mentioned official, was not aware of these standards. He assured the ‘Sunday Island’, however, that Potassium Bromate was being phased out and that the flour now being sold to the bakeries do not contain it. The EFL insists that last week, despite their protests, the Minister had authorised 50,000 metric tonnes of flour to be released to the market since he had been advised by experts that a 7ppm level was permissible.

Some of the leading bakeries, when contacted by the ‘Sunday Island’ said that they have no way of determining the levels of Potassium Bromate in the flour that they purchase. They were all under the impression that the flour obtained from the Prima factory contained no more than the levels mentioned by the minister. They were not aware of a gradual phasing out of Potassium Bromate or the use of safer substances that can replace it. The Factory Manager of Prima was not available for comment.

The EFL statement also warns of the possible contamination caused by genetically modified wheat. Last year, a US wheat shipment to Thailand was found to contain transgenic wheat. Quoting "Friends of the Earth," EFL states that US food aid contains genetically modified wheat. They strongly urge that flour be tested for residual Bromate before being released to customers and that steps be taken to ensure that genetically modified wheat is not used for the production of flour.