INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
SUMMARY OF TOXICOLOGICAL DATA OF CERTAIN FOOD ADDITIVES
WHO FOOD ADDITIVES SERIES NO. 12
The data contained in this document were examined by the
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives*
Geneva, 18-27 April 1977
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
World Health Organization
* Twenty-first Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives, Geneva, 1977, WHO Technical Report Series No. 617
CARTHAMUS YELLOW
EVALUATION FOR ACCEPTABLE DAILY INTAKE
BIOLOGICAL DATA
BIOCHEMICAL ASPECTS
It is presumed that carthamus yellow is absorbed through the
intestinal tract, as indicated by the yellow discoloration of all body
systems. It is thought that the liver plays a major role in the
excretion. Following a six-month period during which carthamus was
administered orally, the liver became extremely yellow. This was
attributed to the "acceleration of the liver function to eliminate the
substance" (Chiba, 1970).
Acute toxicity
LD50 References
Animal Route (mg/kg bw)
Male mice p.o. >20 000 Kuwamura et al., 1970
Female mice p.o. >20 000 Kuwamura et al., 1970
Male mice i.p. 6 297 Kuwamura et al., 1970
Female mice i.p. 3 535 Kuwamura et al., 1970
Short-term studies
Four groups of 15 male and 15 female rats SD-JCL-strain were
given in the diet quantities of earthamus yellow in doses
corresponding to 0, 1000, 10 000 and 100 000 ppm for six months.
Although the body weight and growth curves of male rats were somewhat
depressed at 13 and 24 weeks, other examinations such as feed intake,
mortality rate, organ weight, gross and microscopic evaluation of
tissues revealed "no toxic sign attributable to carthamus yellow"
(Chiba, 1972).
REFERENCES
Chiba, S. (1970) Subacute toxicity of yellow dye "TANACOLOR-Y"
(carthamus yellow). Unpublished report from the Department of Public
Health, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan,
submitted to the World Health Organization by Tanabe Seiyaku Co.,
Ltd., Osaka, Japan
Chiba, S. (1972) Chronic toxicity of "TANACOLOR-Y" (carthemus yellow).
Unpublished report from the Department of Public Health, Juntendo
University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, submitted to the World
Health Organization by Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan
Kuwamura, Ikeda and Ishihara (1970) Acute toxicity of carthamus
yellow. Unpublished report from research staff of Tanabe Seiyaku,
submitted to the World Health Organization by Tanabe Seiyaku Co.,
Ltd., Osaka, Japan