Benzene/pop/edta/fda...the thimerosalof beverages

[Guest guest]

This is a very long article..but the similarities are so interesting and familiar. Did we all know that benzene was caused by a chemical reaction between the preservative sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)? And exposure to light made it more toxic? And 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? Highlights below but read the article. "The Big Three are going to safeguard that preservative," says Alibrandi. "If they told authorities the magnitude of it, maybe the risk was

to have the preservative pulled. I imagine that would create a technical nightmare for these folks." As more details about what the industry did and didn't do emerge, there is a possibility that companies could be held legally at fault, adding another crisis to a soft drink industry that has had no shortage of bad news. Getman ticks off a long list of legal questions presented by the issue, including product liability and deceptive consumer practices. http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/03/15/HardTimesSoftDrinks/

Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.