Sudan I

Encyclopedia : S : SU : SUD : Sudan I

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Sudan I
Systematic name	1-phenylazo-2-naphthol
Chemical formula	C16H12N2O
Molecular mass	248.28 g/mol
Density	x.xxx g/cm3
Melting point	131 °C
Boiling point	xx.x °C
CAS number	[842-07-9]
SMILES	OC1=C(N=NC3=CC=CC=C3)C2=C(C=CC=C2)C=C1
[Chemical infoboxDisclaimer and references]

Sudan I (also commonly known as CI Solvent Yellow 14 and Solvent Orange R), is a lysochrome, an azo dye with a chemical formula of 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol. Sudan I is a powdered substance with an orange-red appearance. The additive is mainly used to colour waxes, oils, petrol, solvents and polishes. Sudan I has also been adopted for colouring various foodstuffs, including particular brands of curry powder and chili powder, although the use of Sudan I in foods is now banned in many countries due to inconclusive reports on its possible health risks.

Sudan I is also used in some orange colored smoke formulations.

Toxicology

The dye has been declared a possible carcinogen. Laboratory tests on mice showed growth of cancerous tumours in the liver. Tumors also developed in the bladder, following a direct injection into the urinary bladder. Tests via oral administration have so far proved negative. These tests have led to the additive being banned from use in foods throughout the EU, as it may pose an increased risk of cancer. Even though the amount of Sudan I used in popular foods is small, the proposed health risks are still high.

Sudan I is also present as an impurity in Sunset Yellow, which is its disulfonated water-soluble version.

Food scare

In February 2005, Sudan I became a prominent news topic, particularly in the United Kingdom. A Worcester sauce produced by Premier Foods was found to be contaminated by the dye. The origin was traced to adulterated chili powder. The sauce was used in hundreds of supermarket products such as pizzas and ready-made meals, and the contamination has led to over 400 products being taken off the shelves. The deadline for removal was 12:00 GMT 24 February 2005, as imposed by the Food Standards Agency, the removal to be monitored by Local Authorities.

However in the UK, the news reports failed to mention that:

• The additive was only banned for import into the UK as recently as July 2003. Before that, it was widely used as an additive with no reported adverse effects. Inconclusive data about the safety of the dye is what caused its ban.
• The origin of the contamination was a shipment of chilli powder from India, which was exported in 2002 (before the ban was imposed). Some would argue the ban was not even flouted, but since the food contaminated was produced after the ban was imposed, the rules of the ban still had to be applied.
• There is inconclusive evidence that it might be carcinogenic in some animal species, and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as category 3 (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans). However, numerous nations throughout the world have banned the dye in foodstuffs due to its capacity for ill health effects.

Other countries made much less of the "scare". For example, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) found that the risk, if any, for anyone who has consumed food made with this chilli powder as an ingredient is so small as to be immeasurable, and consumers are advised not to be concerned.

In countries other than the UK and Canada, no such recall has taken place.

Due to the scare, the government of Sudan has requested that the name of the dye be changed to avoid negative connotations being associated with the country and its food exports [link]. The origins of the "Sudan I" name are uncertain, but one chemist has suggested it "probably got the name as a result of interest in the British Empire at the time it was developed in the late 19th Century."

Synonyms and brand names

Atul Orange R Benzene-1-azo-2-naphthol Brasilazina oil Orange Brilliant oil Orange R Calcogas M Calcogas Orange NC Calco oil Orange 7078 Campbelline oil Orange Carminaph Ceres Orange R CerotinOrange G CI Solvent Yellow 14 C.I. Solvent Yellow 14 Dispersol Yellow PP Dunkelgelb Enial Orange I Fast oil Orange Fast oil Orange I Fast Orange Fat Orange I Fett Orange 4A Grasal Orange

Grasan Orange R Hidaco oil Orange Lacquer Orange VG MotiOrange R Oil Orange Oleal Orange R Orange à l'huile Orange insoluble OLG Orange 3RA soluble in grease Orange resenole No. 3 Orange R fat soluble Organol Orange Orient oil Orange PS Petrol Orange Y 1-(Phenylazo)-2-naphthol Plastoresin Orange F4A PyronalOrange Resinol Orange R Resoform Orange G Sansei Orange G Scharlach B

Silotras Orange TR Solvent Yellow 14 Somalia Orange I Sudan I SpiritOrange Spirit Orange Spirit Yellow I Stearix Orange Sudan J Sudan Orange R Sudan Orange RA Sudan Orange RA new Tertrogras Orange SV Toyo Oil Orange Waxakol Orange GL Waxoline Yellow I Waxoline Yellow IM Waxoline Yellow IP Waxoline Yellow IS

See also

• Para Red
• Tartrazine

External links

• [BBC NEWS | Health | Food alert on cancer-causing dye]
• [Food Standards Agency - Sudan dyes]
• [Premier Foods]
• [New Scientist]
• [Products known to be affected with Sudan dyes]
• [Sudan 1 at Food.gov.uk]
• [Sudan I in scientific literature: Sudan I human carcinogenicity data]

 

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