[3][4] However, if too much is added, or if the bread is under-baked long or baked at a low enough temperature, then a residual amount remains, which may be harmful if consumed.

[6] The FDA allowed the use of bromate before the Delaney clause of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act – which bans potentially carcinogenic substances – went into effect in 1958.

Japanese baked goods manufacturers stopped using potassium bromate voluntarily in 1980; however, Yamazaki Baking resumed its use in 2005, claiming it had new production methods to reduce the amount of the chemical which remained in the final product.

[7] Potassium bromate is banned from food products in the European Union, Argentina, Brazil,[8] Canada, Nigeria, South Korea, and Peru.

[13] In October 2023, California enacted a law that banned the manufacture, sale, and distribution of potassium bromate (along with three other additives: brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben, and Red 3).