Not so sweet: missing mercury and high fructose corn syrup: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Alternative Medicine Review, June, 2009 by D. Wallinga, J. Sorensen, P. Mottl, Yablon B.

Most attention to HFCS lately, whether in the news or in the scientific literature, has been around its potential contribution to obesity and other diet-related disease. Increased consumption of calories has been a major driver of the obesity epidemic. This report deals with another health concern entirely: mercury contamination.

Just published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Environmental Health, is the bombshell that commercial HFCS appears to be routinely contaminated with mercury. It turns out the contamination isn't so much accidental as newly recognized, given the fact that much HFCS has been made and continues to be made using "mercury-grade" caustic soda.

Caustic soda produced by a mercury cell process is contaminated with 0.2 to 0.3 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, and perhaps as much as 1 ppm, in some cases. Much HFCS is produced using exactly this same "mercurygrade" caustic soda. Mercury contamination of soft drinks or drink mixes made from this caustic soda was acknowledged by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies as early as 2000.

Other common food ingredients derived from mercury cell chlor-alkali plants include citric acid and sodium benzoate, a food preservative found in many foods also containing HFCS. To our knowledge, these ingredients have not yet been tested for mercury contamination.

Other common household products made from caustic soda also may be contaminated with low ppb levels of mercury, including shampoo, toilet tissue, bleach and toothpaste.

Commentary

This study was conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (www.iatp.org) as a companion piece to the previously referenced Dufault study. Wallinga and his fellow researchers tested products in the grocery store that listed HFCS as the first or second ingredient on the label. They wanted to answer the question that the Dufault article asks: is mercury found in actual food products? The table is a partial list from Wallinga et al, listing those products in which a measurable amount of mercury was observed. A complete list, including products that tested negative for mercury can be accessed here: http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?reflD = 105040

Minneapolis, MN. http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026

                                       Total mercury   Lab detection
Product Name                               (ppt)        limit (ppt)

Quaker Oatmeal to Go                        350             80
Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce                     300            100
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup                   257             50
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce               200            100
Kellog's Nutri-Grain Strawberry
  Cereal Bars                               180             80
Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe Sauce               150             80
Market Pantry Grape Jelly                   130             80
Smucker's Strawberry Jelly                  100             80
Kellog's Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry        100             80
Hunt's Tomato Ketchup                        87             50
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth
  Dressing                                   72             50
Coca Cola Classic                            62             50
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt                    60             20
Minute Maid Berry Punch                      40             30
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink                      30             20
Nesquik Chocolate Milk                       30             20
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk                30             20

ppt = parts per trillion