What does Sodium bisulfite do?

Used in food as an antioxidant, preservative.

Is Sodium bisulfite safe?

Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record.

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Sodium bisulfite

CAS 7631-90-5 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 6 other CAS numbers

57414-01-4 · 69098-86-8 · 89830-27-3 · 91829-63-9 · 855427-07-5 · 855924-73-1

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Sodium bisulfite in plain language

What it is: Also known as Sodium hydrogen sulfite · Sodium;hydron;sulfite · Monosodic sulphite · Monosodium salt sulfurous acid · Sulfurous acid, sodium salt (1:1) · E-222
Show all 21 names
Hydrogen sodium sulfite · Hydrogen sulfite sodium · Ins NO.222 · INS-222 · Monosodium sulfite · Sodium hydrogen sulphite · Sodium sulfite (NaHSO3) · hidrogenosulfito de sodio (solucion acuosa) · sodium bisulfite (sasa iii) · sodium bisulfite (1:1) (sasa iii) (cercla) · sodium bisulfite (sara iii) · sodium bisulfite (sara iii) (cercla) · sodium bisulfite (sasa iii) (cercla) · sodium bisulphite · Sodium hydrogensulfite (aqueous solution)
What it does: Used in food as an antioxidant, preservative.
Antioxidant, preservative
Antioxidant
Preservative
Colourant
Thickener
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1071 composition records across product categories including Other indirect contact consumer goods, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products.

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. Sodium bisulfite appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database33 entries — 17 administration routes
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: INTRA-ARTICULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.32 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRACARDIAC; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.1 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRALESIONAL; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.32 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 96 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SOLUTION; Potency: 51.8 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAPERITONEAL; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.66 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRASYNOVIAL; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.32 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 96 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SOLUTION; Potency: 51.8 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, SOLUTION; Potency: 0.05 %w/vSource →
- Route: IONTOPHORESIS; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.06 %w/vSource →
- Route: IRRIGATION; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.66 %w/wSource →
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: DROPS; Potency: 0.06 %w/wSource →
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: SOLUTION/ DROPS; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: SUSPENSION/ DROPS; Potency: 0.06 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Potency: 0.36 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CONCENTRATE; Potency: 0.5 mg/1mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 1 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Maximum daily exposure: 5 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SYRUP; Potency: NASource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Maximum daily exposure: 9 mgSource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: INHALANT; Potency: NASource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: LIQUID; Potency: 0.3 %w/wSource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.3 %w/wSource →
- Route: SOFT TISSUE; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.1 %w/vSource →
- Route: SUBCUTANEOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.22 %w/vSource →
- Route: SUBLINGUAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: 0.5 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 0.3 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: POWDER, FOR SOLUTION; Potency: 0.1 %w/vSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.06 %w/vSource →
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.08 %w/vSource →
GLOBALJECFA0-0.7 mg/kg bwJECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant, preservative.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant, preservative.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1071 composition records across product categories including Other indirect contact consumer goods, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Stabilizing agent, Preservative, Antioxidant.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1071 composition records across product categories including Other indirect contact consumer goods, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Stabilizing agent, Preservative, Antioxidant.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, preservative.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
No EFSA opinion on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Sodium bisulfite 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

EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated September 2018
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
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

food-info.net

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

No fragrance-linked caution surfaced in the current profile.

Good fit

This ingredient does not currently read as a fragrance-linked driver in the published evidence and hazard profile.

Where it has been recorded

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

Source records

1,071

Named organisations

Other indirect contact consumer goodsLaboratory suppliesSpecialty occupational productsMedical/dentalFood and drugIndustrial products

Typical roles

Antioxidant, preservativeAntioxidantPreservativeColourantThickenerFlavouring

See products using Sodium bisulfite →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 8 →Find products without it →