It has made headlines before but many are not aware of the disgusting ingredient in Gatorade. However, thanks to a Change.org petition started by a 15-year-old girl, information about the odd ingredient is spreadng around the internet again. What can be so disgusting in the colored sports drink? Flame retardant.
Kavanagh of Hattiesburg, Miss., started a petition to have the disgusting chemical, bromine, taken out of Gatorade after she did some research.
"The other day, I googled 'brominated vegetable oil.' It was the last time I drank Orange Gatorade. I found out that this 'BVO' is a controversial flame retardant chemical that is in some Gatorade drinks!" Sarah Kavanagh wrote in her petition.
"Who wants to drink that? Not me!" the girl went on to add.
Among the ingredients in Gatorade is brominated vegetavle oil. It's added to keep the flavors in cirtus drinks from separating. However bromine is also found in flame retardant which is used on upholstery and clothing.
Bromine can build up in the body upon being ingested. This buildup has been linked to neurological disorder, fertility issues, hormonal changes and advanced puberty.
It can also cause short term problems such as cramping, vomiting, blurred vision, tearing, and even cyanosis, which means it can turn skin blue.
"I'm not a scientist, but if there are lots of suspicious things about putting a flame retardant chemical in Gatorade (most flavors don't even use it!) then why would Gatorade want to put it in a product designed for people like me who are into sports and health?" Sarah asked in her petition.
She hopes that the petition will get some attention and will persuade Gatorade to remove the ingredient. So far it's being noticed. The petition needs 200,000 signatures and it already has 195, 960.
"You put slick ads on TV encouraging people like me to buy your products, but it's shocking that you have a flame retardant chemical called 'brominated vegetable oil' in some flavors. Please stop deceiving consumers and remove this chemical from your products," the petition reads.
However Gatorade isn't the only brand guilty of using BVO. It is also in Mountain Dew, Powerade, Fresca, Fanta Orange, Squirt and Sunkist.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
