Health Effects Assessment: Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children

On April 16, 2021, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published a notice of release of the final report “Health Effects Assessment: Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children”.

The California Legislature provided funding to OEHHA in FY 2018-19 to conduct a health effects assessment of the potential neurobehavioral and other neurologic effects of synthetic food dyes in children. In conducting this risk assessment, OEHHA evaluated the toxicology, epidemiology, clinical, and exposure literature and databases, and conducted an exposure assessment and hazard and risk characterization. OEHHA accepted scientific information on food dyes from the public during a data call-in period between October 2018 and February 2019, and held a symposium on the neurological and neurobehavioral impacts of synthetic food dyes in September 2019. OEHHA released a draft of the report in August 2020 for public comment.  OEHHA also had the document peer reviewed through the University of California. Public comments and the peer reviews are now available.

The final report presents the available information on neurobehavioral effects of synthetic food dyes from studies in children and from studies in experimental animals.  In addition, OEHHA evaluated information from both animal studies and studies in cells that provide insight into the mechanisms by which synthetic food dyes might elicit neurobehavioral effects.  OEHHA also conducted an exposure assessment and a risk characterization comparing the exposures to various benchmarks, including the current Acceptable Daily Intakes and levels that might be considered safe based on newer studies.

The final report and our responses to public comments and comments from the peer reviewers are available for download below.