Soft Drinks Found to Have High Levels of Benzene (Cancer Chem)

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http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0302-07.htm Published on Thursday, March 2, 2006 by the Times / UK Soft Drinks Found to Have High Levels of Benzene (Cancer Chem)by Rajeev Syal Traces of a carcinogenic chemical have been found in soft drinksat 8 times the level permitted in drinking water, it was revealed lastnight.Tests conducted on 230 drinks on sale in Britain and Francehave identified high levels of Benzene, a compound knownto cause cancer, according to the Food Standards Agency.There is a legal limit of one part per billion of benzene in Britishdrinking water. The latest tests revealed levels of up to eight parts per billion in some soft drinks. Benzene has been linked to leukaemia and other cancers of the blood.Traces found in Perrier water 15 years ago ledto the withdrawal of more than 160 million bottles worldwide.The disclosure has prompted food safety campaigners to demandthat the Government reveal which products contain benzene.At present, the drinks' identities have not been revealed. Richard Watts, of Sustain, a pressure group lobbying for better foodstandards, said that this should be done urgently because the drinkswere being marketed to children. "The scientific evidence is unclearabout whether there is any safe level of benzene. We see no reasonwhy it should be different from the designated safe level in drinkingwater.If it is unsafe in drinking water, why should it be safe in softdrinks?" he said. The Food Standards Agency, the government watchdog,said that the products did not pose an immediate health risk,but called for further investigation from the British drinks industry."Let's have further investigations and regular discussions withthe drinks industry to check what is happening. If levels are highthen theFSA will take action to protect consumers," an agency spokesman said. Food scientists believe that high levels of benzene may have beenproduced by the reaction of two commonly used ingredients— sodium benzoate, a preservative, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).Sodium benzoate is widely used in the drinks sector. In Britain, it is used in Britvic brands includingBritvic 55 apple and orange flavours,Pennine Spring flavoured waters andShandy Bass. It is not known if any of these products were included in the latesttests.A spokesman for Britvic has previously expressed confidence in itsproducts.A spokesman for the British Soft Drinks Association said yesterdaythat the industry was working to reduce the levels of benzene in softdrinks. "There is an obligation on the industry to have as low a level of benzeneas possible and we are looking at ways of reducing the levels— and maybe even removing the preservative— if we can replace it with something else," he said.When minuscule traces of benzene were discovered in Perrier water15 years ago, it forced the French company to withdraw millions ofbottles. Tests have been carried out in Europe after US food watchdogsfound benzene in juices and sodas. The Food and Drug Administrationregistered its concern about the possible long-term effects on health. Professor Glenn Lawrence, of Long Island University,who first conducted tests for benzene in soft drinks 13 years ago,said that the combination of sodium benzoateand vitamin C was commonly used in drinks in the early 1990s. He said that drinks firms were now putting vitamin Cback into drinks to encourage consumers to buy the product.He said that this was being done to encourage parents to buy the drinksto improve their children's health but it might just be doing theopposite. BENZENE FACTS Michael Faraday discovered benzene in 1825 when he isolated itfrom oil gas to form a chemical, six parts carbon, six parts hydrogenIt is produced during incomplete combustion of carbon-rich substances: it is produced from petrochemicals, but occurs naturally— in volcanoes,— forest fires and in — cigarette smokeIn the 19th and early 20th centuries it was used in aftershave,for its pleasant smell, and to decaffinate coffee.It is now used as an anti-knock agent in petrolIt is an aggressive carcinogen and may lead to leukaemiaand other cancers of the blood In 1993, Professor Glenn Lawrence, of Long Island University,published research showing that the sodium benzoateand vitamin C found in soft drinks could react to form benzene.He suggested that drink companies were putting vitamin Cinto drinks to encourage customers to buy them Copyright 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =