A substance that most of us cannot pronounce, has caused Kellogg’s to recall more than 28 million boxes of its popular cereals such as Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, and Honey Smacks. The recall came from consumers complaining of a funny smell, nausea and diarrhea, and a wax-like taste from cereal boxes. Kellogg representatives have found that the compound, methylnaphthalene, has been the subject of major, on-going government and oil industry testing.

“We have identified a substance in the package liners that can produce an uncharacteristic waxy-like taste and smell,” said Kellogg’s spokeswomen J. Adaire Putnam. “Consumers report a variety of tastes and smells, including those that are stale, metal, and soap-like.”

David Mackay, president and chief executive officer for Kellogg’s says that, “efforts have been made to have the products removed from store shelves and we are working diligently to ensure that the affected products are rapidly removed from the marketplace.”

Kellogg chemists have determined that the “off-taste and smell” was caused by methylnaphthalene, which had leached into the cereal from the package liner. Kellogg’s said that the compound is classified by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe,” but was unable to locate it on the FDA’s website.

Methylnaphthalene, which has two forms, is a component of crude oil and coal tar and may also be formed as a pyrolytic byproduct from the combustion of tobacco, wood, petroleum-based fuels and coal. According to the EPA, the petroleum-based compound is produced in enormous quantities in the United States and health agencies know very little about its safety.

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Consumer Reports recently reported that some supplements we take on a regular basis may actually be more harm than good. Consumers may not realize that manufacturers of supplements do not have to demonstrate that they are safe and effective before they sell their products to consumers.

Experts at the Institute of Medicine said this year that, “The FDA needs to use the same strict standards to regulate supplements as it uses for drugs, and should ask Congress for more power to regulate supplements.”

The FDA has repeatedly found hazardous ingredients, including synthetic prescription drugs, in supplements, and some natural ingredients can also be hazardous. There have also been claims that supplement sellers tell consumers that they can cure their sickness or replace their costly prescription medications with their supplements.

According to Nutrition Business Journal, in 2009, Americans spent more than $26.7 billion on supplements and the trend only seems to be growing. You can find a supplement pretty much anywhere that claims to cure any aliment or symptom; from a cold, to weight loss, an edge in sports, or just to stay healthy.

Consumer Reports states that, “We have identified a dozen supplement ingredients that we think consumers should avoid because of health risks, including cardiovascular, liver, and kidney problems. We also found products with these ingredients readily available in stores and online.” The report found that a group of ingredients were linked to serious adverse events by clinical research and case reports. The report also factored in whether the ingredients were effective for their claimed uses and how readily available they were to consumers.

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