Benzene levels in flavored beverages by brand and type

[demobabe]

I've seen a couple threads in recent weeks regarding the benzene levels in soda and diet drinks, and found this new study from the FDA.

If you like Safeway Diet Orange Soda or drink Crystal Light, you could be ingesting 79-88 ppb of benzene. As was mentioned on another thread, if municipal drinking water has benzene levels of over 5 ppb, they need to issue alerts and offer alternative water. Some of the results were suprising. Who would have thought Cranberry juice could be a hazard?

Until this point, no drink-specific data had been available, and I suspect the benzene problem is much worse than these FDA results show. Another study mentioned on the DU recently said levels of 130+ ppb were found in a cola drink, but the specific results and brand names were not mentioned in that study.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/benzdata.html

[hashibabba]

1. Crystal light is my favorite...

I've been drinking it for years!

Am I dead yet?

[demobabe]

6. It's the "Classic Orange" Crystal Light

And it looks like they may have reformulated it - I'd check the ingredients.

[GreenPartyVoter]

33. ditto

[electron_blue]

2. thanks for the link!!!

I was looking for this months ago.

[stepnw1f]

3. So... We Have Been Poisoned by Corporate America

Great... now what would happen if I poisoned somebody? Anybody want to guess what would happen to me or you if we poisoned somebody?

[smirkymonkey]

22. We'd get a 5 million dollar raise and a 30 million dollar bonus for

increasing shareholder value? :shrug:

[Imajika]

4. Mountain Dew

I don't see Mountain Dew on there anywhere. Maybe I missed it, but so far I feel safe in carrying on with my Mountain Dew addiction.

[demobabe]

10. Mountain Dew ingredients

Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated orange juice and other natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine, sodium citrate, gum arabic, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor) and brominated vegetable oil, yellow 5.

These are the ingredients from the Mountain Dew website.

The problem with the sodas has been interaction between sodium benzoate and either citric acid or erythorbic acid.

Other factors such as heat (ever see soda sitting on loading docks behind grocery stores) or if it's a diet soda, it makes it more prone to problems. Some lots have nothing, while others are off the scale - same drink.

I'd definitely want to know more about Mountain Dew before drinking it again. I noticed Pepsi no longer contains sodium benzoate.

Ingredients for all the Dew products here:

http://www.mountaindew.com/about_dew/product_info/md.php

edit to include URL

[Imajika]

14. Thanks ;)

Your ruining my day, I love Mountain Dew...

Okay, I'd better check on this stuff then. Thanks for the info....

[demobabe]

15. Sorry...

But in ruining your day, maybe I will save your life. :)

I switched from carbonated sodas to iced tea about a couple months ago - it is hard giving up a product you like.

[WhoWantsToBeOccupied]

I switched from soda to tea > 10 years ago and heartily recommend it!

The large quantities of Dr. Pepper I was drinking more than a decade ago gave me big stomach problems. I would go on my daily runs and have to stop part way through because my stomach was so upset.

My doctor told me to give up soda. I switched to tea, my stomach quickly thanked me, and I haven't had stomach problems since.

I love tea, iced tea and coffee, and they're much better for me. No sugar. Plenty of flavinoids! And, in my opinion, better taste too. Takes some adjusting, but you'll be SO GLAD.

[demobabe]

32. Soda made me feel sick and sluggish

The more I drank, the worse I felt - Iced tea is better.

I've been drinking instant tea lately, and the last few days I started feeling spacey and a bit queasy, and just generally bad. Looked at the ingredients of my NON-diet instant tea (which I'd read before on a previous container), and lo and behold, they'd added sucralose (aka "Splenda") in addition to regular sugar.

Found another container of the same exact tea with the old recipe (no sucralose), and was back to normal.

I thought they were supposed to warn you on the label if the product contained any of those artificial sweeteners?

[deFaultLine]

42. Er

I highly recommend brewing your own tea, it is MUCH better for you, costs less and uses fewer resources. I think you will also find that it is better tasting as well, provided you make it properly.

[demobabe]

43. Yeah, you're right

It's much tastier... I went for the quick solution, although I do like fresh brewed better.

Changes in small steps here. :)

[WhoWantsToBeOccupied]

44. My supermarket stopped carrying it, but I found it online

I prefer to brew tea or coffee, but I'm often too busy and/or too lazy.

After quite a bit of search, I discovered a website selling the pure, unsweetened iced tea I used to buy at the local grocery store.

www.buythecase.net/product/1767/nestea_100_tea_unsweetened_iced_tea_mix/

I have no stake in this company except for having bought one case before. I had a good experience and will be buying another case in a month or two from them.

Good luck!

[SmokingJacket]

50. Apparently you don't have to brew it at all--

You can just throw the teabags in the water, and put it in the fridge overnight. My husband makes tea by putting it in the sun, but apparently, you don't do even need to do that...

It only just TODAY got hot enough for me to want cold drinks, so I'm going to try the lazy method tonight.

[pecwae]

46. Ever tried Stevia

to sweeten homemade iced tea? It's an herb and extraordinarily sweet; only have to use a drop or two.

[demobabe]

54. I've never been too concerned about sugar

It's artificial sweeteners I fear! I haven't tried Stevia yet - at some point I may check it out since it's not some left-handed screwy molecule made by corporations.

[demobabe]

19. "Technical fix"

"After the Project Denver tests, the industry moved quickly to minimize the problem. In less than a month, Cadbury-Schweppes changed the formula for Orange Crush, removing ascorbic acid from the drink. Later, chemists discovered that the benzene-causing reaction could be slowed by a "technical fix" -- the addition of other chemicals called "chelating agents," of which the most common is called calcium disodium EDTA. "The soft drink industry promptly took steps to address the causes of benzene formation, and the matter was resolved through improved manufacturing procedures," said American Beverage Association (ABA) spokesperson Kathleen Dezio in a statement, when the whistleblower documents were posted last year."

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976743668

Calcium disodium EDTA is one of the ingredients in Mountain Dew - although I'd still be concerned.

[Touchdown]

35. Whatever happened to New York Seltzer?

That was some good stuff. I can't find it in flyover territory anymore. It used to be so popular.:shrug:

[Canuckistanian]

45. Is there anything wrong with sodium benzoate?

It's in EVERYTHING

[Richard Steele]

17. They list 3 Mountain Dew tests, but not the original MD.

2 batches of Diet MD both tested less than 1ppb,
and something called "Mountain Dew Sugar Free MDX Energy Soda"
had levels below detectability.

So I'm guessing regular MD is PROBABLY about the same.

I wonder why regular MD wasn't tested; seems like a bit
of an obvious oversight, not?

[VTMechEngr]

25. I believe the problem is only in Diet Sodas nt

[demobabe]

26. Do you call regular cranberry juice a diet drink?

Anything that has sodium benzoate as a preservative could potentially have this problem, diet or not. It's increased by heat or citric acid being in the drink. Diet sodas are worse for whatever reason.

[dysfunctional press]

41. Cool- i don't drink ANY diet sodas.

and i've got the dentures to prove it.

[VTMechEngr]

24. Diet Mountain Dew was on the List, and >1.

Good news to me.

[kestrel91316]

5. I don't buy commercially made "beverages. I make my own. My new

favorite is switchel, an old-time thirst quencher from colonial-era America.

Switchel (my modified recipe)

1 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 c. cider vinegar
1 t. ground ginger
1 gallon water

Heat 2 c. water in a saucepan and stir in sugar and molasses until dissolved. Add vinegar and ginger and mix well. Add to remainder of water and chill thoroughly.

You could mix up a concentrate with half the water, and then add club soda or sparkling water when pouring into your glass. It would then be homemade almost-soda!

[hashibabba]

8. I just wrote to Kraft about their Crystal Light...

and hopefully they'll tell me they are only using the reformulated powders, or that its primarily high in orange drink and not my raspberry iced tea. I don't know if they'll tell me the truth or not, but I'm already trying to figure out what I can switch to.

Thanks for letting us know, demobabe

and

thanks for the recipe kestrel, I just might try it!

[kestrel91316]

16. My next experimental beverage is steeping in the cupboard as we

speak. I am making Lemon Balm Shrub. Shrubs are traditional sugar/fruit juice/vinegar beverages. Herbal shrubs are also a possibility. So I went out to my back yard and picked some lemon balm to try out. In a couple weeks I will give it a whirl, after the steeping has gone on for a while.

Lemon Balm Shrub

2 c. packed fresh lemon balm leaves
1 1/2 c. cider vinegar
1-4 c. sugar, according to your tastes
1 gallon water

Crush the lemon balm leaves slightly, pack into a quart jar, and add the vinegar. Cover and let steep in a dark place for a few weeks. Strain the liquid, add sugar and water, mix well. Chill and enjoy!

You can of course substitute Equal or Splenda for some or all of the sugar.

[femmocrat]

7. Let me get this straight...

If drinking water is under 5 ppb, and soft drinks oh, 12 to 15 times higher, do they ADD benzene to soft drinks? How does it get in there? Is it a powder or a liquid? Do they buy it and pour it in or does it naturally occur in some other ingredient?


Hmmmm.....

[Richard Steele]

9. It's produced by a chemical reaction inside the drink.

Ascorbic acid (added for tartness) reacts slowly
with Benzoate Salts (anti-microbial preservative).

One of the results is Benzene.

[femmocrat]

23. Thanks!

Could they add other anti-microbials, etc. which would not create benzene?

[Jane Austin]

11. WooHoo!

My absolute favorite is Diet Rite Tangerine Soda (Orange sodas taste sweet and wimpy in comparison) and it rated non detectable.

Whew.

[demobabe]

13. Different ingredients

Lists Potassium Benzoate (instead of Sodium Benzoate) and Citric Acid among the ingredients.

I haven't heard how Potassium Benzoate reacts (or doesn't react) in comparison to Sodium Benzoate.

But if you read the FDA literature at the website, the list is not meant to indicate what drinks are safe and which are not, because many factors contribute to benzene levels in drinks.

[KittyWampus]

12. Buy a seltzer bottle and mix with natural fruit juice. Yum!

[SmokingJacket]

51. The best: a splash of organic limeade in seltzer! nt

[earth mom]

18. N.D. - means No Data-correct?

I drink Diet 7 up and the chart reads n.d. :shrug:

[demobabe]

20. Not detected, I believe

[earth mom]

21. Thanks for the bit of good news! Though...

I've been thinking about going cold turkey and switching to water only cause I know this stuff can't be good for me!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. Just before I logged on I went to pour myself something to drink and with

a choice of sodas and ice tea, I made a conscious decision to have good old plain water. Now I feel great about my choice!

Thanks Demobabe for posting this.

[Miss Chybil]

28. What is benzene and why is it hazardous? Here's the answer:

Actually, I'm going to research the information myself. It would be nice to have it included in the thread. I'll update my post, as soon as I find the answers to my questions, but if you already know, I'd appreciate the info.

On edit:

Here's what I've found so far...

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts3.html

This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions about benzene. For more information, you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. This information is important because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.


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HIGHLIGHTS: Benzene is a widely used chemical formed from both natural processes and human activities. Breathing benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and unconsciousness; long-term benzene exposure causes effects on the bone marrow and can cause anemia and leukemia. Benzene has been found in at least 1,001 of the 1,662 National Priority List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


What is benzene?
Benzene is a colorless liquid with a sweet odor. It evaporates into the air very quickly and dissolves slightly in water. It is highly flammable and is formed from both natural processes and human activities.

Benzene is widely used in the United States; it ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume. Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals which are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.

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What happens to benzene when it enters the environment?
Industrial processes are the main source of benzene in the environment.
Benzene can pass into the air from water and soil.
It reacts with other chemicals in the air and breaks down within a few days.
Benzene in the air can attach to rain or snow and be carried back down to the ground.
It breaks down more slowly in water and soil, and can pass through the soil into underground water.
Benzene does not build up in plants or animals.

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How might I be exposed to benzene
Outdoor air contains low levels of benzene from tobacco smoke, automobile service stations, exhaust from motor vehicles, and industrial emissions.
Vapors (or gases) from products that contain benzene, such as glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents, can also be a source of exposure.
Air around hazardous waste sites or gas stations will contain higher levels of benzene.
Working in industries that make or use benzene.

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How can benzene affect my health?
Breathing very high levels of benzene can result in death, while high levels can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness. Eating or drinking foods containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, irritation of the stomach, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, rapid heart rate, and death.

The major effect of benzene from long-term exposure is on the blood. Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection.

Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of their ovaries. It is not known whether benzene will affect fertility in men.

__________________________________________________________________________

Seems the danger lies in breathing benzene. Now, I'm off to see what happens when you drink it...

[demobabe]

29. It causes cancer. Leukemia.

It's one of the worst of em.

[Miss Chybil]

30. The FDA Report ...

Yes, I realize this report was compiled during the current Regime, but I like to keep an open mind and consider all sides of an issue: So here it is: (See my previous post for information on benzene, itself.)

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01355.html

FDA Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement
April 13, 2006
Media Inquiries:
Press Office, 301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA

Benzene in Soft Drinks
FDA is committed to ensuring the safety of food and beverages consumed by Americans and providing timely and factual information when safety questions are raised. We are issuing this statement today to better describe the steps FDA is taking in response to reports that benzene has been found in some soft drinks.

Benzene, a carcinogen, is found in the environment from natural and man-made sources. In November 2005, FDA received reports that benzene had been detected at low levels in some soft drinks containing benzoate salts (an antimicrobial agent) and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), particularly under certain conditions of storage, shelf life and handling.

FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) initiated a survey of benzene levels in soft drinks following receipt of the November 2005 reports. This survey indicates that the vast majority of beverages sampled (including those containing both benzoate salts and ascorbic acid) contain either no detectable benzene levels or are well below the 5 parts per billion (ppb) U.S. water standard. The results of this survey, which will be released in the near future, indicate that the levels of benzene in these beverages do not pose a safety concern.

FDA's Total Diet Study (TDS) results from 1995 to 2001, as recently reported by the press, indicated benzene levels in soft drinks that were well above and inconsistent with CFSAN's more recent survey results. The TDS results were also well above and inconsistent with levels reported in previous and current peer-reviewed literature and with hundreds of recent domestic and international government and beverage industry results. We are working to determine the source of the differences. As with any data that appear to be inconsistent, FDA believes it is important to closely examine the reasons for such differences.

The TDS is an ongoing FDA program that determines levels of various contaminants and nutrients in a wide variety of foods. The analytical procedures used in the TDS are designed to detect multiple pesticide residues, industrial chemicals, and toxic and nutrient elements in many foods, not just benzene in beverages. Ongoing investigations into the analytical method used by the TDS suggest that elevated benzene levels can be formed by the procedures used to analyze beverage samples. This raises major concerns about the reliability of the TDS data for benzene in beverages and could explain why these data indicate higher levels of benzene than the levels reported in the more recent surveys by CFSAN and others, as noted above. We are continuing our investigation of the TDS data for benzene, and will make the results available when the investigation is complete.

FDA is also continuing to follow up with companies to ensure that processing conditions are established that will ensure that benzene formation is avoided or minimized.

FDA believes that the results of CFSAN's recent survey indicate that the levels of benzene found in soft drinks do not pose a safety concern.

####

[grytpype]

31. ORL-MAN LDLO 50 mg kg-1

http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/BE/benzene.html

The lowest lethal dosage for a 70 kg human would be 3500 mg, 3.5 g.

So if a drink has 80 ppb of benzene, to get 3500 mg of benzene would require

3500 / 80 * 1x10^9 grams of beverage, or 43.75x10^9 grams

If a liter of soda weighs about 1 kg, you need to drink 43.75 million liters to get a lethal dose of benzene.

Of course if you drank that much the benzene would be the least of your problems.

[demobabe]

37. Of course you're not going to get a lethal dose of benzene

From drinking soft drinks.

Just like you don't get a lethal dose of benzene while smoking cigarettes.

But down the road, you might get lung cancer.

[Touchdown]

36. Benzine? One of the ingredients in...Oh' My GOD! It's DIIIIIP!

[Miss Chybil]

49. LOL! Now that computes!

In other words... I get it!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

34. my version of soft drink is even easier, and healthier.

first, make sure you make ice with filtered water. Activated carbon works well, and in an emergency, you can even take ground charcoal (not the self-igniting kind) and use coffe filters to pass the water through. branch water from a birch or a willow also works well. place in a clean freezer, and wait three hours. there are certain safety activities possible at this time. (see below) *

take a unleaded tumbler, glass only, and wash and dry carefully.

Open a single malt scotch, fill said tumbler halfway up, and set aside.

grab the smallest ice cube, and gently add it to said scotch to avoid disturbing its heady aroma or its positive and beautiful color.

Sip.

* (quite frequently, out of sheer necessity and demands of today's life's pressures, one may be seduced by the need to taste test said single malt, sans ice, before said frozen water is truly frozen water. This is perfectly permissible. In fact, it is highly recommended, especially if one has a choice of which single malt to use in one's effort to drown the offending cube of ice.)

[troubleinwinter]

40. Oh... single malt... heaven.

[troubleinwinter]

38. Phosphoric acid

Many soft drinks, especially colas contain phosphoric acid. Husband's dentist told him to stop drinking them, as they were stripping the enamel from his teeth. Phosphoric acid is USED to remove mineral deposits from surfaces! It also contributes to osteoporosis, as it hinders calcium absorption.

When soft drinks were first developed, they called them 'Phosphates'.

"Phosphoric acid is used primarily in the manufacture of fertilizers, detergents, and pharmaceuticals. In the steel industry, it is used to clean and rust-proof the product. It is also used as a flavoring agent in carbonated beverages (read the ingredients list on a can of Coca-Cola)"

I dislike sodas, and drink unsweetened iced tea. Ingredients: Tea leaves, water.

[dysfunctional press]

39. this doesn't bode well for my safeway select diet orange soda futures...

another investment down the shitter...(just don't tell the EPA which shitter- let them figure it out.)

[RebelOne]

47. I don't drink any of those except one, Tropicana Twister

and it had the not detected code.

[SnowGoose]

48. I'll throw in a plug for my favorite soda. (It's 'organic' if you care).

This is just for those freaks like me who can't believe people pay more than 20 bucks for a bottle of wine, but who might drive an hour down the road to try a new soda pop. I *love* pop - I mean really dig the stuff. It's a wonder I don't weigh 200 pounds.

Anyhow, the best soda pop I've ever had is Steaz: Key lime green tea soda.

Website: http://www.steaz.com/index.asp

Financial Disclosure: none, although I ought to own a significant portion of the company by virtue of the number of bottles I've bought. I have to special order it by the case, if you can believe that $#*^.

Damn, damn fine pop. Try it if you get the chance.

Izzie isn't too bad either.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

52. Blue sky has tea sodas too.

I really like the Pomegranate White Tea. The Steaz cola is pretty good. Haven't had the other flavors.

[demobabe]

53. I will have to try it...

Don't see any local place that carries it, but I am going to be on the east coast at some point this summer... thanks for the link. :)