Washington, DC—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed seven synthetic flavoring substances from the Food Additives List, due to a petition submitted by eleven separate groups working to eliminate these chemicals for health and environmental reasons.

Six of the substances—the synthetically-derived versions of benzophenone, ethyl acrylate, eugenyl methyl ether, myrcene, pulegone, and pyridine—were removed due to the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The Delaney Clause specifies that the FDA cannot approve or find as safe the use of “any food additive that has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals at any dose,” according to the FDA’s statement.

The petition submitted to the FDA found that those six substances caused cancer in laboratory animals in laboratory conditions.

The FDA stated, however, that their scientific analysis has “determined that they do not pose a risk to public health under the conditions of their intended use.” They are generally available in small amounts, resulting in low exposure levels and low risk, and are only being removed from the list as a matter of law.

They also specified that this removal only applies to the synthetic versions of these chemicals, not the natural ones.

The seventh substance, styrene, is being removed because the industry has stopped using it.

Businesses that use these substances have 24 months to find suitable replacement ingredients and to reformulate their products.