Ever feel invincible after a chug of the thirst-quenching Gatorade, as if you can endure anything and everything post-power boost? Maybe it’s due to the fact that manufacturers have been pumping it with an ingredient linked to flame retardant – and it only took parent company PepsiCo this long to remove the synthetic chemical from production.
The sports beverage came under fire late last year after a 15-year-old girl noticed “brominated vegetable oil” listed as an ingredient and realized its consumption side effects include neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. She then started a Change.org petition for PepsiCo to remove the ingredient, garnering nearly 200,000 signatures. Molly Carter, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo Inc. said the company had planned to remove the ingredient for years now but were facing issues with how to substitute BVO without altering the drink’s flavor. The petition did not affect PepsiCo’s decision to make changes, but did reflect the general consumer’s need to address the issue.
Brominated vegetable oil is a common ingredient in 10 percent of today’s beverages, including PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola’s Fanta Orange, Powerade, and Fresca, and Snapple Group’s Dr. Pepper. It is used as an emulsifier to evenly distribute the citrusy flavor, preventing the majority of the sweet, tart taste and color from collecting at the surface. As the name suggests, BVO contains bromine, an element found in flame retardants used in electronics plastic covers, computers, and household textiles to reduce fire risks. BVO as an ingredient in food is banned in Japan, India, and the European Union. Way to go, America.
Although the side effects sound rather scary, Carter says there will be no beverage recalls as they do not believe there are “health or safety risks,” but the new flavors of Gatorade without BVO are slated to enter market in the “next few months.” No words on whether PepsiCo aims to make changes to Mountain Dew, which now means that not only will you be drinking flame retardant with each gulp, you’ll also allegedly lower sperm count like no tomorrow. Are you finally convinced to quit soft drinks now?
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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