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Carcinogenic substances have been found in Coca-Cola drink.
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Laboratory tests published June 26 on the website of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found high levels of carcinogens in Coca-Cola made in Brazil, 67 times higher than those in Coca-Cola from California.
The report found that the chemical carcinogen 4-methylimidazole, known as 4-MI and 4-MEI, was found in alarming levels in the drink sold in many countries around the world. The carcinogen is produced in the caramel coloring used by the company to make Coca-Cola.
CSPI had previously warned about high levels of the substance, after which the California company reduced 4-MI to 4 micrograms per 355 milligrams of drink, as CSPI tests showed.
California officials have required Coca-Cola to place a cancer warning on its product labels and to produce drinks with 4-MI levels lower than 3 micrograms per 12 ounces. The warning on the labels must state that there is a real risk associated with consuming 30 micrograms of 4-MI per day.
Levels found in products made in Brazil reached 267 micrograms of 4-MI per 355 milliliters, well above the legal limit of 3 micrograms. Tests also found high levels of 4-MI in drinks made in Kenya (177), Mexico (147), Canada (160), the United Arab Emirates (155), England (145), and Washington (144). Lower levels were seen in Japan and China, with 72 and 56 micrograms of 4-MI, respectively.
A chemical reaction between sugar and ammonia creates 4-MI, a substance that causes lung, liver, thyroid and leukemia cancer, according to experiments conducted by the U.S. government, CSPI reports.
A leading maker of "colored caramel" offers a coloring agent that is completely free of 4-MI and says the product is four times more expensive than the regular one, so companies won't buy it, the report says.
"Now that we know it is possible to almost completely eliminate this carcinogen from beverages, there is no excuse for Coca-Cola and other companies not to do so worldwide," the CSPI report concludes.
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