Additives
BHA (E320): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Hazardous
Antioxidant · Synthetic antioxidant
Synthetic antioxidant. Listed as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the US National Toxicology Program. IARC classifies it as Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic). Banned in Japan.
- Category
- Antioxidant — Synthetic antioxidant
- Typically used in
- Crisps, crackers, instant noodles, chewing gum, cereals
- Regulatory status
- IARC Group 2B. Banned Japan. NTP carcinogen listing.
- Also listed as
- Butylated Hydroxyanisole
- Concerns flagged
-
Possible allergenCarcinogenicity concernEndocrine disruptionGenotoxicity concernNeurotoxicity concernReproductive-health concernThyroid effects
Scrannr flags BHA automatically when you scan a barcode.
Sources
Where this comes from
- EFSA (2012) — Statement on the safety assessment of the exposure to butylated ydroxyanisole E 320 -BHA- by applying a new exposure assessment methodology http://dx.doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2759
- IARC (1986) — IARC Monographs Vol. 40 – Butylated Hydroxyanisole BHA (Group 2B, possible human carcinogen) https://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol40/butylatedhydroxyanisole.html
- Ao et al. (2023) — A review of the occurrence, metabolites and health risks of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.12689
- Pandya et al. (2025) — Exploring the Mechanisms of BHA, BHT, and TBHQ in Hepatotoxicity, Nephrotoxicity, and Neurotoxicity from the Perspective of Network Toxicology https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11988534/
- Maisanaba et al. (2024) — Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of tert-butylhydroquinone, butylated hydroxyanisole and propyl gallate as synthetic food antioxidants https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11521724/
Products
Products containing BHA
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