Pesticides in 11 soft drink varieties

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http://www.realhealthnews.com/dailydose/dd200609/dd20060905.html Beginning of the end for "pop" culture?Soft drinks have been getting some hard treatment in the marketplace lately.First, the UK bans 26 varieties of them for their benzene content (Daily Dose, 4/21/06). Then the always-fearful-of-slipping-into-irrelevancy Bill Clinton spearheads an effort to pressure soft-drink makers into eliminating the sale of full-sugar versions of soda pop in high schools - substituting instead the aspartame-loaded diet varieties (as though that's a nutritional improvement)...Don't get me wrong - I'm not offering up any sympathy for the soda-pop industry, more like taking note of highlights in a trend that's quite frankly long overdue: The scrutiny of the downsides of these "harmless" beverages.Whether it's their insane sugar content (as much as 10 teaspoons per can or bottle), the benzene and other pollutants that have been found in them, or the aspartame that studies show can breed serious health consequences, there's nothing better you can do for your health than to take a hard-line stance against soft drinks...And huzzah! Whole countries are now casting a critical eye on these killer carbonates.The latest blow to the soft drink industry comes from one of the world's most populous nations - and boy is it a whopper. According to recent reports from Breitbart and other sources, the government has banned the sale of soft drinks in educational institutions in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. A similar ban has been enacted by the legislature in neighboring Punjab as well. Beyond this, Indian federal authorities have called for a nationwide ban on soda-pop...Why? Because an independent testing organization found "unacceptable" (I wonder what's considered acceptable?) levels of pesticides in 11 soft drink varieties exported to India by two U.S. companies, Pepsico and Coca-Cola. Judges from India's Supreme Court gave the two companies one month to reveal ALL of the ingredients in these soft drinks - including additives, residues and toxins not listed on ingredient labels.Now I can't be sure, but that would probably include things like benzene and pesticides, don't you think?Of course, anyone who's been a reader of mine for any length of time at all will know that in my opinion, there are far worse things you can be ingesting than a little pesticide - especially if it's DDT. I've written at great length about studies showing that maligned (yet lifesaving) chemical to be actually medicinal when ingested...But that's beside the point. Pesticides really shouldn't be in soft drinks, and the Indian government is right to slap a ban on these beverages because of it.What's also interesting to note is that in India, a lawsuit is pending before the court that seeks to limit soft drink sales based not on what's in them that's not disclosed, but for the harmfulness of some of the drinks' regular ingredients - among them ASPARTAME.As you know, in the past (Daily Dose, 9/17/04 and 4/18/06) I've cited studies linking aspartame to brain tumors and cancers like leukemia and lymphoma in laboratory animals. But I've also cited research linking it to obesity, the very thing it's marketed as a drinkable panacea against!But that's not even the most disconcerting thing they put in sodas on purpose. More on this in the next Daily Dose, plus Big Soda's reaction to the Indian bans...Health Disclaimer! The information provided on this site should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this site. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. 1994 - 2006 by The Douglass Report