Are Sulfite Additives Really Safe?

To the Editor: Six sulfiting agents are generally recognized as safe chemical preservatives for a variety of foods and beverages, including pickles, fresh fruits, vegetables, shellfish, beer, and wine. Ingestion of such foods could bring on Type I immediate hypersensitivity reactions in normal, nonasthmatic persons. Paradoxically, the treatment for severe Type I hypersensitivity is epinephrine, which is preserved with sodium bisulfite at a concentration of no more than 1.5 mg per milliliter. One of us (A.S.H.) has experienced transient itchy palms within 15 minutes after the ingestion of many different commercially prepared foods probably containing sulfiting agents, such as chili . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.