Toxicity and Carcinogenicity of Potassium Bromate: A New Renal Carcinogen

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives 1990-07, Vol.87, p.309-335
• Main Authors: Kurokawa, Yuji, Maekawa, Akihiko, Takahashi, Michihito, Hayashi, Yuzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology; Adenocarcinoma - chemically induced; Adenoma; Administration, Oral; AMINO ACIDS; ANIMALS; BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS; BODY; Body weight; Bread - analysis; BROMATES; Bromates - adverse effects; Bromates - pharmacokinetics; Bromates - poisoning; Bromates - toxicity; Bromides - analysis; Bromides - toxicity; BROMINE COMPOUNDS; CARBOXYLIC ACIDS; CARCINOGENESIS; Carcinogenicity; Carcinogenicity Tests; Carcinogens - pharmacokinetics; Carcinogens - toxicity; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - chemically induced; CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS; Chromosome Aberrations; Cocarcinogenesis; Cricetinae; CYSTEINE; Cysteine - metabolism; DISEASES; DOCUMENT TYPES; Dosage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; DRUGS; ENDOCRINE GLANDS; Fish Products; Food Additives - adverse effects; Food Additives - toxicity; Food Handling; GLANDS; GLUTATHIONE; Glutathione - metabolism; Hair Preparations - poisoning; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; HAMSTERS; Hearing Loss - chemically induced; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Kidney Diseases - chemically induced; Kidney Neoplasms - chemically induced; KIDNEYS; Lesions; MAMMALS; MAN; Maximum Allowable Concentration; MEMBRANES; Mesocricetus; Mesothelioma - chemically induced; MICE; MUTAGENESIS; Mutagenicity Tests; MUTATIONS; NEOPLASMS; Occupational Diseases - chemically induced; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; ORGANIC ACIDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS; ORGANS; OXIDIZERS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PATHOGENESIS; PEPTIDES; Peritoneal Neoplasms - chemically induced; PERITONEUM; POLYPEPTIDES; Potassium; Potassium - analysis; Potassium - toxicity; Potassium Compounds; PRIMATES; PROTEINS; RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT; RADIOPROTECTIVE SUBSTANCES; RATS; Rats, Inbred F344; REVIEWS; RISK ASSESSMENT; RODENTS; SEROUS MEMBRANES; Species Specificity; THIOLS; THYROID; Thyroid Neoplasms - chemically induced; TOXICITY; Tumors; United Kingdom; United States - epidemiology; VERTEBRATES
• ISSN: 0091-6765; 1552-9924
• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9087309

Potassium bromate ( KBrO3) is an oxidizing agent that has been used as a food additive, mainly in the bread-making process. Although adverse effects are not evident in animals fed bread-based diets made from flour treated with KBrO3, the agent is carcinogenic in rats and nephrotoxic in both man and experimental animals when given orally. It has been demonstrated that KBrO3induces renal cell tumors, mesotheliomas of the peritoneum, and follicular cell tumors of the thyroid. In addition, experiments aimed at elucidating the mode of carcinogenic action have revealed that KBrO3is a complete carcinogen, possessing both initiating and promoting activities for rat renal tumorigenesis. However, the potential seems to be weak in mice and hamsters. In contrast to its weak mutagenic activity in microbial assays, KBrO3showed relatively strong potential inducing chromosome aberrations both in vitro and in vivo. Glutathione and cysteine degrade KBrO3in vitro; in turn, the KBrO3has inhibitory effects on inducing lipid peroxidation in the rat kidney. Active oxygen radicals generated from KBrO3were implicated in its toxic and carcinogenic effects, especially because KBrO3produced 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in the rat kidney. A wide range of data from applications of various analytical methods are now available for risk assessment purposes.