Norcross Woman Launches Petition to Remove Ingredient From Powerade

A Norcross woman has launched a petition challenging Coca-Cola to remove brominated vegetable oil, also known as BVO or patented flame retardant chemical, from its line of Powerade.

Aveyca Price, 25, started her petition on Change.org after reading a similar campaign against BVO in PepsiCo's Gatorade, according to a news release from the website. That petition, which was started by Mississippi teen Sarah Kavanagh, caused the company to remove the controversial chemical.

How do you feel about BVO being in sports drinks? Tell us in the comments.

Kavanagh's campaign cites a Scientific American article that links BVO to chemical residues inside children, contamination of breast milk, and brominated flame retardants’ connections to “neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.”

“Kids like my nieces and nephews are drinking this stuff all day, every day,” said Price in the release. “It seems like a no brainer for Coca-Cola to remove BVO from Powerade, especially after Gatorade announced it would replace it with a substitute.”

More than 49,000 people have signed Price and Kavanagh’s linked petition to Coca-Cola.

Price is currently battling cancer, which is part of her inspiration for joining the campaign against BVO. Since her diagnosis, she's been paying more attention to her diet.

“I'm concerned about my health just like everyone, but since I was diagnosed with cancer, I pay extra attention to everything I put into my body,” said Price.

Kavanagh, whose campaign around Gatorade led to appearances on the "Today Show" and "The Doctor Oz Show," expressed support for Price’s campaign and the dozen other consumer campaigns calling for the removal of BVO from their favorite beverages.

“I’m so happy to see people like Aveyca starting new petitions on Change.org about BVO,” said Kavanagh in the news release. “Gatorade, Vitamin Water and BodyArmor don’t use it, so I can’t understand why Coca-Cola would keep it in their products. ... I don’t think they can ignore thousands of customers who want this stuff out of Powerade for much longer.”

To read more, visit the Change.org campaign pages for Aveyca Price, Sarah Kavanagh and other BVO petitions.

About Change.org: Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change—growing by two million new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

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