Searching for something diet? There's no shortage at the grocery store. Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi -- take your pick.

"Everyday I drink three cans of it," said one shopper.

But one word on some sugar-free labels and its possible effects has gotten the attention of some former hard-core dieters like Danielle Douglass.

"Autism, birth defects, cancer, blindness, death?" asked Douglass.

She has been reading-up on the artificial sweetener called aspartame. It's been plagued by controversy since its release into the U.S. market in 1982.

Recently in 2005, an Italian foundation studied 1,800 rats and said it found a 16 percent increase in lymphoma and leukemia in rodents being fed aspartame.

Rep. Mele Carroll said consumer concerns here have prompted her to push serious legislation.

"In my legislation it calls for a ban, and like with anything, when you do extreme legislation it brings the attention of many," said Rep. Carroll.

Carroll is calling for a complete ban on all products containing aspartame. Even though many scientists said the sugar-substitute is safe.

In 2006, the National Cancer Institute released results of its research of almost 600,000 humans over 12 months, which found no link to leukemia, lymphoma or brain tumors.

Scientists said it’s difficult to tell what the life-time effects of what aspartame are because the product has only been on store shelves for past 25 years. And the little blue packet will likely remain on shelves for years to come.

Even Rep. Carroll concedes a ban is unlikely, but she hopes her bill will start a local discussion on the controversy.

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