amber
Sodium Benzoate
Implicated in childhood hyperactivity studies and reported MCAS trigger.
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Barrs Irn Bru Drink Sparkling Can 330mL
Is Barrs Irn Bru Drink Sparkling Can 330mL low tox? Our scanner flagged 3 ingredients (3 in the caution tier) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
3 caution
3 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
Sunset Yellow
Hyperactivity link in childhood studies; warnings required in EU.
amber
Ponceau 4R
Cosmetic-only red dye banned as a food additive.
Full ingredients (from label)
WaterSugarCarbon DioxideCitric AcidFlavouring Preservative (Sodium Benzoate)Colours (Sunset Yellow, Ponceau 4R)Ammonium Ferric Citrate (0.002%).
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.