Cancer risk of Boba tea uncertain
2010/09/11
Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Monday said that the “bubbles” — tapioca balls — sold in Taiwan do not contain cancer-causing chemicals.
TFDA official Feng Ren-lan (馮潤蘭) said the colorful bubbles in question in the German test are not commonly seen in Taiwan, although they are manufactured in the country and in Vietnam.
Feng said the German media did not specify the instruments and methods used in the test or the amount of carcinogenic substances found. The report said that brominated substances were found in the drinks, but ignored the fact that brominated matter can also be found in water, she said.
She said that food coloring additives, the containers in which the balls are packed, as well as other packaging materials, could also be the culprits.
Feng said the authenticity of the tests remained unclear because only snippets of information from private organizations and a university lab were cited in the media, while the results of official investigations by the German authorities had not yet been made available.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/09/14/2003542741
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