Report: Harmful substance in cereal?

WASHINGTON, Conn., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A chemical -- possibly a carcinogen used in mothballs -- may be the reason Kellogg recalled millions of boxes of cereal,The Washington Post reported.

The recall this summer involved 28 million boxes of Corn Pops, Froot Loops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks after dozens of people reported a chemical smell in the packaging and complained of nausea and diarrhea, the Post said Monday.

Kellogg reported there were no harmful substances in the recalled boxes, but the chemical suspected of causing the recall, 2-methylnaphthalene, is a natural component of crude oil, is used in the manufacture of mothballs and toilet sanitizers and "is not supposed to be in food," the newspaper said.

The Environmental Protection Agency says 2-methylnaphthalene is structurally related to naphthalene, which is listed by the EPA as a possibla human carcinogen, the Post said.

It isn't known just how the compound got into the product, or how much was actually even in the cereal, although one packaging expert said it might be as a result of the manufacturing of the foil lining used in the cereal bags, the report said.

Kellogg provided the Food and Drug Administration with an assessment of potential health risks of the contamination, but neither would provide copies of the report, the paper said.