Public kept in Dark about Soft Drink Contamination

By Brian Cole

Published on March 06, 2006

A health safety watchdog organization, the Environmental Working Group, said the public should have been informed that a know carcinogen had been found in soft drinks, especially since they are heavily marketed to children.

The FDA says they did not inform the public because the beverage industry said they would solve the problem. After some follow up test without incident, the FDA says they thought the problem was indeed solved.

Spurred by an activist concerned about soft drinks in schools, the FDA has now found levels to be higher than in the 1990 study, and two to four times what is considered safe for drinking water.

Both the beverage industry and the FDA said the amounts were small and the problem not widespread. A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association said a very small number of minor brands have been affected.

Benzene can show up in soft drinks when ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, mixes with either sodium benzoate of potassium benzoate; chemicals meant to prevent bacteria growth.

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