Potassium Bromate: Additive

Banned in almost every country in the world except for the United States and Japan, this additive is used in refined flour to strengthen dough, increasing the volume of bread and rolls. As an oxidizing agent, most of the bromate used rapidly breaks down to form innocuous bromide. If used improperly, however, the residual amount that remains in bread may be harmful if consumed. Bromate causes renal cancer in rats.