Consider the following pairs:
| Commonly used / consumed materials | Unwanted or controversial chemicals likely to be found in them | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lipstick | Lead |
| 2. | Soft drinks | Brominated vegetable oils |
| 3. | Chinese fast food | Monosodium glutamate |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three pairs are correct. Each names a chemical that has drawn regulatory or health concern in an everyday product: lead in cosmetics such as lipstick, brominated vegetable oil in soft drinks, and added monosodium glutamate (MSG) in Chinese-style fast food.
- ✓ 1. Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can turn up as a contaminant in cosmetics. Indian rules bar lead compounds as colouring in cosmetics and Indian Standards set a 20 ppm ceiling for lead.
- ✓ 2. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is a clouding agent that has been used in soft drinks. WHO's food-additive expert committee (JECFA) allocated it no acceptable daily intake, and FSSAI's manual carries a test to detect BVO in soft drinks.
- ✓ 3. MSG is a flavour enhancer commonly added in Chinese-style cooking. It is controversial enough that FSSAI requires a label on foods with added MSG, saying it is not recommended for infants below 12 months and pregnant women.
Remember · Lead in lipstick, brominated vegetable oil in soft drinks, MSG in Chinese fast food: all three are chemicals of health concern, so all pairs match.
Sources
- PIB, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare: Presence of Heavy Metals in Cosmetic Products (18 Feb 2014) ↗ “The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 prohibit cosmetics containing Mercury compounds and also the use of lead and arsenic compounds for the purpose of colouring cosmetics.”
- WHO / FAO JECFA database: Brominated vegetable oils (INS 443) ↗ “Evaluation year: 1970 ADI: NO ADI ALLOCATED Meeting: 14”
- FSSAI, Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods: Food Additives (2015), method 10.0 ↗ “Detection of brominated vegetable oils in soft drinks: Principle: Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in the soft drinks is extracted using diethyl ether.”
- FSSAI, Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations compendium (Version VIII, 2025) ↗ “contains added MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR INFANTS BELOW -12 MONTHS AND PREGNANT WOMEN”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·