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Comment by pg_bot | Hacker News Reader

This article falls flat when it comes to providing actual evidence of harm being done. Both the EU and the US have products on store shelves which would not be deemed acceptable for human consumption in either respective region. I could write a scare mongering article about sodium cyclamate, a common sweetener that is considered a carcinogen in the US but is available for consumption all over Europe.

Considering that regulators are generally scientifically minded it's funny that there are so many discrepancies when it comes to what is safe and what is not. Perhaps we should look into where we disagree and try to figure out who is right and who is wrong.

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Looking up the Wikipedia page for sodium cyclamate does not acquit the U.S. any better. It was banned in the U.S. because of the decision of individual FDA commissioners, and not because it failed any FDA processes.

If anything, it appears to validate the EU’s process which appears to be based on actual research, as opposed to the political whims of the people running the FDA.

While it is my personal belief that sodium cyclamate is safe for human consumption, (The US ban was due to a research study that linked consumption to an increase in bladder cancer of mice) you missed the point that I was making.

It is likely that both sides of the aisle have banned substances that are actually safe. It is likely that both sides allow substances that are harmful and should be banned. We should further review the areas in which we disagree as it is unlikely that the science changes across an ocean. It is much more likely that hidden incentives or bad methodology has lead to someone being incorrect. Whether you think the US or Europe is better or worse at food regulation is likely a biased opinion.

Potassium bromate is a bit of an oddity, in that the FDA discourages its use, and likely wouldn't approve it if it came up today. The EU regulator is, I think it's fair to say, considerably more aggressive in purging the lists of already-approved things.

Potassium Bromate is in 100s of US commonly consumer products. Are you suggesting that the FDA is purposefully poisoning the public? That would suggest extreme regulatory capture (which is not tough to believe)

Another (notorious) example: kinder eggs!

Also, several European countries approved thalidomide, while the US did not.

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