See how far he gets asking soft drink companies about shrinking balls. Not that he'll get real far no matter how he phrases this oft-heard story. The Food and Drug Administration says pretty much the same thing, and a review of the medical literature turned up nothing. Nothing, that is, about testicular atrophy. But let's put the question a little differently.
Many researchers agree that in some individuals tartrazine can cause hives, swelling, or asthma.
A few also think it can cause hyperactivity in kids. Tartrazine is found in numerous food products, including canned vegetables, chewing gum, hot dogs, pasta, ice cream, and fruit juice concentrate. The stuff accounts for 85 percent of the food dye you consume each day. The numbers in the literature are all over the place, but there does seem to be a close link between tartrazine and aspirin, which triggers asthma attacks in 10 to 16 percent of adults and 2 to 6 percent of children. As I read it, if you're not sensitive to aspirin, you probably won't be sensitive to tartrazine either.