In the April 22 Federal Register, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to remove saccharin and its salts from the lists of hazardous constituents and commercial chemical products which are hazardous wastes when discarded. EPA also proposed to remove saccharin and its salts from the list of hazardous substances regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
The Calorie Control Council petitioned EPA to remove saccharin and its salts from the above lists. Evaluations conducted by public health agencies such as the National Toxicological Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have demonstrated that saccharin and its salts do not have either cancer-causing or other toxic effects that meet the criteria for listing as hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes, and hazardous substances.
When finalized, the proposed amendments will provide relief to manufacturers of soft drinks, flavoring syrups, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics from RCRA requirements to manage and dispose of unused or “off-spec” saccharin and its salts as hazardous wastes, as well as CERCLA reporting requirements for spills or releases.
I found this interesting because I have not heard much about saccharin in years, as other sugar substitutes like aspartame and sucralose (e.g., Splenda) have replaced it in common use. Do you remember when saccharin gained notoriety as a suspected human carcinogen? Do any food products even contain saccharin as a “low-cal sweetener” anymore?