What does Sulfur dioxide do?

Used in food as an antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative.

Is Sulfur dioxide safe?

Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record.

cleaning
food
industrial

Sulfur dioxide

CAS 7446-09-5 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 6 other CAS numbers

67015-63-8 · 8014-94-6 · 12396-99-5 · 83008-56-4 · 89125-89-3 · 1239882-82-6

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Sulfur dioxide in plain language

What it is: Also known as Dioxo-lambda~4~-sulfane · Sulfur dioxide (e 220) · Sulfur oxide (SO2) · Sulfurous anhydride (E220) · Sulfurous oxide · (oxo-lambda4-sulfanylidene)oxidane
Show all 28 names
Dioxyde de soufre · E-220 · Fermenicide liquid · Fermenicide powder · Fermenticide liquid · Ins NO.220 · INS-220 · SO2 · Liquid sulfur dioxide · Sulfurous anhydride · Sulfuroxide · Sulphur dioxide · Schwefeldioxid · Schwefeldioxyd · Siarki dwutlenek · Sulfur dioxide (SO2) · Sulfur superoxide · Sulfurous acid anhydride · dioxido de azufre · sulfur dioxide (sara 302) · sulfur dioxide (sara iii) · sulfur dioxide (sara iii). lc50:(inhale rat) 2520 ppm/1 hr
What it does: Used in food as an antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative.
Antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative
Antioxidant
Colourant
Fragrance
Flavouring
Antimicrobial
Is it a concern?: Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 312 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Batteries.

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Sulfur dioxide appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEFSAConclusion on Pesticides Peer ReviewPeer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance dimethyl disulfide (EFSA PPR)
- Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance dimethyl disulfide (EFSA PPR)Source →
GLOBALJECFA0-0.7 mg/kg bwJECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 312 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Batteries. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Biocide, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 312 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Batteries. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Biocide, Flavouring and nutrient.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservative.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance dimethyl disulfide (EFSA PPR)
  2019 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Sulfur dioxide yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

7 data sources

Where this comes from

EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated jan 24 1989
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Reference links (2)

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Openfda substance

dhs.wisconsin.gov

Read →

Allergen profile

Canonical allergen markers detected on this ingredient. Each row is derived from the ingredient’s name or synonyms matching a known allergen class — useful when scanning a label for a specific allergy context.

SulphitesContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Sulfur dioxide in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

312

Named organisations

Construction and building materialsFurniture and furnishingsBatteriesSpecialty occupational productsLaboratory suppliesCons. electronics, mech. appliances, and machinery

Typical roles

Antioxidant, flour treatment agent, preservativeAntioxidantColourantFragranceFlavouringAntimicrobial

See products using Sulfur dioxide →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Sulfur dioxide; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 15 →Find products without it →