Can Xantham Gum increase the risk of cancer?

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey guys

So I was recently made aware of a ban here in Norway of all products containing Xanthan gum and a few other thickeners.
They say it’s due to these thickeners containing Ethylene Oxide which is used as a pesticide and a sterilizing agent, and that studies had shown that it can lead to an increased risk of cancer.
Use of things that may contain Ethylene Oxide is apparently banned in the EU.

So anyway I got curious and did some reading on the matter and now I wish to ask you guys about this subject, as I’m not really that great at interpreting studies.
Is there good evidence to support the claim that Ethylene Oxide is harmful to consume through food in small doses?

From what I understand Ethylene Oxide is not necessarily always present in these thickeners, but they are high risk of contamination.

2

The existing data does not suggest there’s an increased risk of cancer or other health issues with xanthan gum consumption.

3

Thanks, I thought it seemed a bit overdramatic.
They even called back a lot of food items here.