This One Food Additive Weakens Defenses Against Influenza
tBHQ is an additive used to prevent spoilage, with a maximum allowed concentration of 200 parts per million in food products.
It is unclear how much tBHQ Americans are exposed to, though estimates based on model diets have suggested we eat almost double the maximum allowable amount of tBHQ suggested and that people in other parts of the world may consume up to 11 times the maximum allowable amount.