U.S. removes saccharin as cancer cause

A U.S. report says the government has removed saccharin from its list of potential cancer-causing agents.

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) issues the bi-annual report. The study says tests that showed saccharin caused tumours in rats did not apply to humans.

NIEHS director Dr. Kenneth Olden says saccharin was shown to produce bladder tumours in rats two decades ago. He says it was a "prudent, protective step to consider the sweetener to be a likely human carcinogen."

He adds that the rat tumours "arise from mechanisms that are not relevant to the human situation." He says they have more data now on humans using saccharin.

The product had been on the list since 1981.

The report listed 218 substances known or suspected to cause cancer in people. The institute says 14 had either been upgraded to the "known" category or added to the list.

Second-hand smoke was at the top of the upgraded list. "Environmental tobacco smoke, generated from sidestream and exhaled mainstream smoke of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars is listed as a known human carcinogen," says the report.