If you walk into any convenience store or supermarket, then you have probably noticed the exciting colors on soft drink bottles and cans. Blue appears to be tempting and refreshing. Soft drink distributors are looking for ways to generate more sales and new colors seem to work very well.

The dye used for soft-drinks are color products that easily dissolve in water. Even well-known brands have joined the bandwagon. Food and beverage manufacturers use natural and synthetic dyes to make their products look more appealing.

The blue dye is derived from coal-tar. In the US, it is included on the top 7 artificial coloring solutions that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. On the other hand, according to the executive director of a public interest center, dyes do not add any form of nutritive significance in soft drinks and may be unsafe.

During a study in 2007, children were asked to drink colored beverages with a preservative and artificial color. The results revealed that the children became hyperactive. The researchers pointed the hyperactivity of the kids to both the preservative and artificial coloring.

DyeDiet tested a well-known drink. They found that the blue #1 concentration was very low in this beverage. The ratio was 1 mg to one liter. The negative side is that Blue #1 can cross the blood barrier in the brain. As a result, not only does your tongue turn blue, but your brain turns blue as well.

A public interest center performed additional research on the ingredient by conducting tests on rats. These rats did not show any symptoms that their capability to reproduce was affected.

However, there is a disturbing result. The male rats that were used during the test developed cancer cells. There is no basis on the effect it can cause to humans. The US FDA may have approved the dye as they met the Code of Federal Regulations, but there is still an argument that it is not fit for human consumption.