Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup

[Guest guest]

My gosh, if not through the vaccines, it is now through the food.

 

Melly

 

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washingtonpost.com

Study Finds Highâ€Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

Wednesday, January 28, 2009; 12:00 AM

MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) â€â€ Almost half of tested samples of

commercial

highâ€fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in

nearly

a third of 55 popular brandâ€name food and beverage products where HFCS is the

first†or secondâ€highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S.

studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as

breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On

average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and

other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

" Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much highâ€fructose corn syrup is

consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury

never

before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the

[u.S.

Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination

of the food supply, " the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David

Wallinga, a coâ€author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.

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In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health,

researchers

found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS.

And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP),

a

nonâ€profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brandâ€name

foods

contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCSâ€containing

dairy products, dressings and condiments.

But an organization representing the refiners is disputing the results published

in

Environmental Health.

" This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious

significance, "

said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, in a

statement.

" Our industry has used mercuryâ€free versions of the two reâ€agents mentioned

in the

study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years. These

mercuryâ€free reagents

perform important functions, including adjusting pH balances. "

However, the IATP told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that four plants in Georgia,

Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia still use " mercuryâ€cell " technology that can

lead

to contamination.

IATP's Ben Lilliston also told HealthDay that the Environmental Health findings

were based on information gathered by the FDA in 2005.

And the group's own study, while not peerâ€reviewed, was based on products

" bought off the shelf in the autumn of 2008, " Lilliston added.

The use of mercuryâ€contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is

common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic

soda.

" The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food

contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury.

The good news is that mercuryâ€free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just

need a good push to only use those ingredients, " Wallinga said in his prepared

statement.

More information

The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry has more about mercury

and health.

SOURCE: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, news release, Jan. 26, 2009