Carcinogen Benzene Found In Children's Drinks. FDA is Silent!

[leftchick]

http://www.ewg.org/issues/toxics/20060228/index.php

Children's Drinks Contain Ingredients That Can Form Benzene
FDA silent despite knowledge of the problem
Agency Trusted Industry to Change Formulas in 1990, Yet Still Finds Sodas with Benzene

(WASHINGTON, Feb 28) - Today the Environmental Working Group (EWG) sent a letter to the FDA requesting that the Agency notify the public about the presence of two ingredients in many popular children's drinks that can mix together to form the cancer-causing chemical benzene. The FDA last addressed this problem more than 15 years ago when it entered into a voluntary agreement with the beverage industry to reformulate its products to avoid the presence of this hazardous mixture. It appears, based on news reports and a sampling by EWG of popular children's drinks from retail outlets, that many manufacturers have not complied.

In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) learned that certain soft drinks marketed to children contain two ingredients that can mix in the soda to form the toxic carcinogen benzene. The Agency didn't tell the public, but instead merely asked companies to voluntarily change their formulas to eliminate the problem.

So far in 2006, two news outlets have reported that the Agency is again testing soft drinks, finding benzene sometimes at levels above the safe limit for drinking water, and asking companies to change their formulas. To date the FDA has concealed this information from the public.

On February 24 and February 27, 2006, EWG staff found many juices and sodas at major national retail outlets containing the ingredients that can form benzene. The beverage industry appears to have flagrantly ignored the 1990 agreement to eliminate chemical combinations that can form benzene in their products and the FDA, by all accounts, has done nothing about it.


Lisit of drinks....


Country Time Lemonade
Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange
Diet Pepsi Twist
Diet Pepsi Vanilla
Diet RockStar Energy Drink
Fanta Orange
Fanta Pineapple
Fruit20 Plus 10 Natural Apple
Giant Fruity Punch Cooler
Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red
Hawaiian Punch Lemonade
Hi-C Blast, Orange Supernova
Kool-Aid Jammers Blue-Raspberry
Kool-Aid Jammers Cherry
Kool-Aid Jammers Grape
Kool-Aid Jammers Orange
Lo-Carb Monster Energy
Monster Energy
Pepsi Twist Lemon
RockStar Energy Drink
Sierra Mist
Sunkist
Sunny D
Sunny D Baja
Sunny D Intense Sport Cool Punch
Sunny D Orange-Fused Strawberry
Sunny D Smooth
Sunny D Smooth + Calcium
Tampico Citrus Punch
Tampico Grape Punch
Tampico Tropical Punch
Tropicana Twister Diet Soda (Diet Orange)
Tropicana Twister Soda Grape
Tropicana Twister Soda Orange
Tropicana Twister Soda Strawberry

[Dunvegan]

1. What ingredients to look for in ANY food product that may create benzene

Any bottled or canned food product that is liquified and containes ascorbic acid and either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate.

These are the ingredients that the FDA and the beverage industry have said can mix together to form benzene, a known human carcinogen.

[leftchick]

3. yes indeed

and that is a lot of products! I try to buy as much organic and natural foods for my children as possible.

[NNadir]

15. Just curious. Have you ever taken a class in chemistry?

If so can you offer a good reason why this biochemistry is not applicable to the case?

http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/reaction/misc/benzoate.html

Under what conditions is benzoate decarboxylated to give benzene? Further to our discussion, how would the concentration of benzene putatively derived from benzoate compare with the benzene one might ingest while pumping gasoline at a self-service pump?

[LeftHander]

20. Why don't you just tell us Professor...

But can you make a radio out of it and get us off this island?

[sakabatou]

2. Damn

I had 5 of those drinks in my lifetime... :(

[stepnw1f]

4. Fuckers are Killing People

At the least poisoning them. Fucking absolutely sickening...

[leftchick]

8. killing peoples , animals, the environment ...

ON OUR Dime!! :argh:

[stepnw1f]

19. On Our Dime, for Our Dime, All the Time

like jackals...

[leftchick]

5. warning from EWG.....

<snip>

To steer clear of chemicals in foods and drinks that can mix together to form benzene, consumers should avoid products that contain both ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate.

"Once again, the FDA has sided with industry and against the public, in this case by concealing simple information that would allow people to easily avoid benzene in the drinks they give their children," said Wiles. "Once people have this information, we are convinced that food and drink manufacturers will simply reformulate their products, as many already have done, and as FDA originally intended in 1990."

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. I have a better idea. Don't freakin give soda to your kids!

Mine were 10 before they even knew what they tasted like. Now that they are teenagers, I still don't buy it for them, if they want it, they have to buy it for themselves, and hear Mom bitch at them while they drink it. :)

[leftchick]

14. hey I am with you!

LOL! My children are always saying... " Mom, the way you protect us from food we will live forever!" I say, that is the point!

:)

[mom cat]

6. Big corporations really have your best interest at heart. .. NOT.

[Igel]

7. You'd get benzoic acid out of the two, at best.

And not huge quantities, at that.

Above ~370 C you get decomposition of benzoic acid to benzene, but the sugar in the sodas would also take some damage by then. Not to mention the can would have long since exploded, sending shrapnel and steam everywhere.

Otherwise, benzoic acid is fairly stable. Benzoate's apparently mostly metabolized to hippuric acid, which is also produced naturally. Benzoate, however, hasn't been independently tested for carcinogenicity; it's grandfathered in, since it's been used so long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzoic_acid does a decent job.

[Greeby]

10. Well, of course, I remember Malloy talking about Shrub's FDA appointe

And how the sick son-of-a-bitch was testing on New York's foster children in the 90's.

And he only stopped when he RAN OUT OF CHILREN :nuke:

Mengele would be proud! :grr:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

11. Here's An Even Better Article, Though In Britain

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2065539,00.html

I mean seriously, how hard is it to use a different goddamn preservative? Why do things so simple as this still exist as health concerns? Jesus christ FDA, just take care of it and be done with it. Sheesh.

[leftchick]

12. you know why...

The FDA does not want to offend the coporatists.

[OzarkDem]

13. Adults drink these too!

We should be just as outraged that adults are being exposed to carcinogens, not just children.

[leftchick]

16. true but

children are more profoundly affected by carcinogens than adults are. I don't even bother trying to curb my husband's diet too much anymore.

[linazelle]

17. Looks like Gail Norton did a good job then.

She should be getting the medal of honor any day now. :sarcasm:

[Kurovski]

18. I see adults drinking that liquid shit, too.

nasty, nasty crap all around.

It all fucks with your physical, dental--and sometimes even--mental health.

[RedOnce]

21. K&R!