FDA may allow some toxic chemicals to be added to food without safety review

The FDA is proposing to expand a regulatory loophole called the "threshold of regulation" (TOR) exemption that would allow toxic chemicals to be added directly to food as ingredients without safety review, as long as they are not carcinogenic and pose "no appreciable risk to human health." Public health advocates warn that many dangerous chemicals—including hormone disruptors, neurotoxins, and "forever chemicals"—can cause serious harm at levels far below the current safety threshold, and argue the proposal is based on flawed science that contradicts current evidence about chemical toxicity.