Times (London) articles on new test results for benzene in soft drinks

The Times (London)

March 4, 2006, Saturday
Tests confirm levels of benzene in soft drinks
Valerie Elliott Consumer Editor
BODY:

Safety tests on soft drinks have shown that more than half contain
levels of a cancer causing chemical that breach the legal limit for
drinking water, The Times has learnt. Just 100 of the 230 drinks tested
for benzene met the standard for British water, with some containing up
to eight times the legal limit.

Despite growing consumer concern, the British Soft Drinks Association,
which compiled the data, last night refused to disclose the brands and
companies that show higher levels of benzene. Individual companies also
refused to give full results of the tests.
There is no legal standard in the EU for benzene levels in soft drinks,
although World Health Organisation guidance recommends a maximum amount
of 10 parts per billion.

Stephen O'Brien, the Conservative health spokesman, said: "The concerns
over benzene could be addressed immediately by drinks manufacturers
volunteering current benzene levels in all their drinks."

History and Origin of Benzene in Soft Drinks
http://www.schoolpouringrights.com


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2067127,00.html
Britain

The Times March 03, 2006
Drinks tested for cancer chemical
By Valerie Elliott
Watchdog orders immediate inquiry after concern about the levels of
benzene in some products

AN URGENT investigation into soft drinks on sale in Britain was ordered
by the Food Standards Agency last night after some brands were found to
contain traces of a cancer-causing chemical at eight times the level
permitted in water.

The testing for benzene, which has been linked to leukaemia and other
cancers of the blood is to take a month, The Times has learnt. The
results will be made public to allow consumers to check levels of the
compound in each product.

The number of brands to be scrutinised has not yet been finalised but
the investigation is certain to focus on drinks favoured by children
such as lemonade, colas and fruit juices, as well as diet drinks.

Benzene appears to be formed in certain drinks that contain sodium
benzoate E211, a preservative used widely in drinks to prevent growth
of moulds, and ascorbic acid E300, otherwise known as vitamin C.
Possible causes are an absence of sugar in drinks. Scientists are also
keen to establish if benzene is produced when drinks packs are exposed
to light.

Food industry insiders last night suggested that tests should also be
conducted on fizzy drinks, squash, iced teas and fruit and herbal teas
that may also contain sodium benzoate and vitamin C.

The problem for food safety chiefs is that there is no maximum level
for the chemical in soft drinks in EU law. The World Health
Organisation (WHO) guidance is for a limit of ten parts per billion in
soft drinks but it is not a legal requirement for manufacturers.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), however, believes that there are no
health concerns for drinks within the WHO limits but would prefer to
see levels of benzene in all soft drinks to come below one part per
billion, as in water, over time.

Two-litre bottles of Schweppes lemonade on sale in supermarkets include
E211 and vitamin C on ingredients labels. A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola,
which markets Schweppes products in Britain, declined to reveal the
level of benzene traces in the product and referred all calls to the
British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA).

Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy drinks also contain sodium benzoate
and ascorbic acid. But GlaxoSmithKline said that these products were
"at negligible risk and where there is sugar in a product the
potential reaction is suppressed". The spokeswoman added that because
Lucozade Sport and Energy contained sugar there was no need to test for
traces of benzene.

The FSA began immediate testing after receiving industry data on 230
soft drinks. Many drinks contained traces of benzene below one part per
billion, the legal limit in drinking water, but others were seven and
eight times above that figure. The watchdog was not provided with names
of products tested by the BSDA, and was given only aggregates. The
information was also limited because it contained only products of
eight drinks companies, a fifth of brands on sale in Britain.

The testing was welcomed by Stephen O'Brien, a Conservative health
spokesman. He said: "It is vital that public confidence is maintained
without delay. I can see no reason why there is not a working critical
level of benzene in soft drinks."

The issue has caused concern across the Continent and there is to be a
meeting of food safety experts today in Prague to discuss benzene
levels in drinks. Talks have also been arranged between drinks
companies and senior officials from the European Commission's health
and consumer protection secretariat.

The benzene problem was identified by US authorities last month and
traces were found in some Diet Pepsi and Sunny D brands. But spokesmen
from Pepsico and the Sunny Delight Products Company said that drinks
had different formulations in Britain than the US and did not contain
benzene.

Part of the difficulty in setting a maximum limit in soft drinks is
that benzene is present in the air and most people on average breathe
in 220 micrograms of benzene every day.

History and Origin of Benzene in Soft Drinks
http://www.schoolpouringrights.com

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