FDA responds to benzene questions.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)

Beverage Industry, April, 2006

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration responded last month to concerns about the potential for benzene to form in some soft drinks. The FDA indicated that around 1990 it was informed that benzene, a carcinogen, could form at the parts-per-billion level in some beverages that contain benzoate preservatives and ascorbic acid. Elevated temperatures and light could stimulate the formation, it said, while sugar and EDTA salts inhibit benzene formation.

Last November, the FDA again looked at laboratory results reporting low levels of benzene in soft drinks, and began collecting and analyzing a sample of beverages. It concluded "from this limited survey, the vast majority of beverages sampled (including those containing both benzoate preservative and ascorbic acid)...

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