The FDA identified five common soft drinks sold in America late last week that exceed by up to almost 16 times the legal limit for the cancer-causing chemical benzene (in water), based on an agency analysis of 89 beverages. The worst offender, Safeway Select Diet Orange, contained as much as 79.2 parts per billion in one lot.
The other offenders:
Another interesting factoid: The FDA detected benzene in 54 of the drinks tested. Triggered by exposure to light or heat, benzene forms in soft drinks when vitamin C or other acids interact with two preservatives, sodium or potassium benzoate. Also, light and heat exposure varied greatly among drinks too, because a wide range of benzene concentrations was detected in different batches of the same drink.
Meantime, the companies cited with overloads of benzene have reformulated their products, but do you want to play Russian Roulette with your health by taking a chance on drinking this or any other "soft beverage"?
By the way, the benzene problem is way above and beyond why you should be staying away from soft drinks in the first place, considering they displaced white bread as the leading source of calories in America last year.
I devote so much attention to the perils of consuming soft drinks -- benzene poisoning being the latest concern -- you probably need to be reminded from time to time about the horrible chemical composition of liquid candy. That's the gist of this interesting piece from the library of Mindconnection. The article goes beyond the obvious dangers of osteoporosis and diabetes to review a few of the many cancer-causing effects of soft drinks, particularly connected to esophageal cancer. You'll also enjoy reviewing the side-by-side lists that compare all the problems associated with soft drinks and the benefits of drinking clean fresh water. OPTIMIZE YOUR HEALTH As you know, one of the easiest and best ways to optimize your health is to replace carbonated and sugary sweet drinks with clean fresh water. What happens when -- due to drought conditions -- water of any kind is in short supply, and big business -- think international soft drink bottlers -- has a stranglehold over it? That's the upsetting story playing out in rural areas of southern India, where some residents rely entirely on water trucked in from other locales, all because Coca-Cola manufacturers squandered local water supplies until they ran dry... For example, the Coca-Cola plant so completely drained the village of Plachimada of water, there was nothing left to wash clothes, drink or for cooking. Indian officials have begun to clean up this waste of ground water by Pepsi and Coca-Cola, little by little, but it should never have come to this at all. So, if you think big business is only interested in controlling their financial interests in North America and Europe to keep their coffers flush with cash -- like the mega-national drugmakers do so well -- guess again. And, it makes you wonder how soft-drink manufacturers in America can make and peddle their sugar-laden liquids in areas plagued with drought... Staying on the subject of dangerous soft drinks, you may recall Cadbury Schweppes recently relabeled its carbonated 7-Up a 100 percent natural product. Even though 7-Up commercials claim the new mix is a "natural" one (complete with images of cans being harvested from fruit trees) what Cadbury uses to sweeten it -- high fructose corn syrup -- is anything but health-promoting or natural, so don't be fooled into believing otherwise. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has sued Cadbury to force the soft drink manufacturer to stop using the "100 percent natural" claim on 7-Up. However, the FDA, in its infinite wisdom, won't define what constitutes a natural food product, thus giving food manufacturers a free pass to use the term "natural" far more freely than they should. And when CSPI complained about an "all natural" ice cream product made by Ben and Jerry's that included hydrogenated oil four years ago, the FDA waved off any concerns, claiming it had more important things to do. Perhaps, if the FDA took its job more seriously, precious time and dollars wouldn't be spent on lawsuits like this one. Unfortunately, the health of Americans doesn't appear to be much of a priority ..
With Americans becoming more aware of all the dire health issues associated with soft drinks, the leading source of calories, fast-food marketers like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts are flocking to newer, sweeter and more expensive frozen fruit drink concoctions (some made with soy, sorbet or yogurt) that are just as health-harming. The appeal is obvious to businesses that can make more money selling a single Smoothie, Slush or fruity Frappuccino for at least twice as much as the standard soft drink, one expert says. Even worse, a few of these drinks are being pitched as "meal replacements." No doubt concerned about the plague of obesity, many Americans have been duped into believing these sugary, sweet substitutes are a safer alternative: The Smoothies product line all by itself accounts for $1.2 BILLION in annual sales. Perhaps, that's a reason why the anything but sugar product Splenda is in such short supply these days... Fact is, one of the most important steps you can take to improve your health is one of the easiest: Switch from buying those sugary, sweet drinks and switch to pure, fresh water. Here's one way to scare people into flocking toward pasteurized orange juice: Announce the findings of a study that identified microorganisms in non-hazardous unprocessed orange juices that "might" cause illness in Florida, the "Sunshine" state. The concerns are related to rare instances of unpasteurized orange juice being linked to outbreaks of salmonella in the United States over the past decade. Of course, these incidents could be connected to imported oranges grown under less sanitary conditions or greater consumption, in general, of orange juice. Air Fresheners May Damage Your Lungs Air fresheners have been linked to cancer in the past, and this new study from the National Institutes of Health found that chemicals in not only air fresheners, but also toilet deodorizers and mothballs, can harm the lungs. The chemical, 1,4-dichlorobenzene or 1,4-DCB, is in the blood of 96 percent of Americans. The 10 percent of people with the highest blood levels of 1,4-DCB did 4 percent worse in a test of lung function than the 10 percent of people with the lowest blood levels. Aside from being problematic for people with asthma or lung problems, the test is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and death from any cause. How can you tell if 1,4-DCB is in your home? Simple -- it smells like mothballs. It's best not to introduce any chemicals into your home, however, even those that may smell good. If you are trying to eliminate unpleasant scents, try to prevent them from occurring in the first place, and if you are using air fresheners because you like the scent, therapeutic essential oils are an excellent, and safe, alternative. Evidently, Bausch and Lomb knew they had a problem with their toxic contact lens solutions long before the most recent reports of Fusarium keratitis, the fungal eye infection that can cause blindness. As drug companies do when trying to fend off controversy -- think Merck and the Vioxx debacle -- Bausch and Lomb and its competitors took great pains to minimize any past concerns raised by scientists about multipurpose solutions (designed for cleaning, storing and disinfecting contact lenses) raised as long as nine years ago. Now, the FDA has woken up to the problem and promised to re-evaluate their testing methods. Meanwhile, some researchers believe some contact lens solutions, when used with specific lenses, could cause corneal staining, also making patients more vulnerable to infection. If all these new concerns, on top of the recent ones, make you more leery about using contact lenses in the future, I'm not surprised. But you don't have to be saddled with glasses or contacts either. You can get rid of both for good by learning the important visual habits that restored my eyesight in the Secrets of Regaining Your Vision Naturally program. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette July 26, 2006 Another Bird Flu Scam Just as some states are having second thoughts about funding an imaginary flu pandemic with real tax dollars, here comes a cheaper flu vaccine under development by GlaxoSmithKline that may hit the consumer market as early as next year. Projected to cost no more than the standard flu shot (about $7), Glaxo's H5N1 vaccine contains less than 4 micrograms of antigen (coming from chicken eggs). Two immunizations did the trick, the company claims, protecting 80 percent of patients participating in clinical trials. The real reason why Glaxo jumped into the bird flu vaccine market: Business analysts project the H5N1 vaccine could add as much as 5 percent to the company's long-term earnings and $2 billion in annual sales. That might put a crimp into Tamiflu sales and all future profits U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld may earn as a former board member of Gilead Sciences. Whether this "new and improved" vaccine will have the same deadly effect as Tamiflu does, however, is anyone's guess. To avoid the inherent dangers of vaccines without a health-harming drug, I urge you to review my quick tips for strengthening your immune system today. The Best: Deadly Poisons Ingested or Inhaled I'm sharing this interesting list of the 10 deadliest poisons from the latest issue of Wired for a reason. With a little luck, you won't be exposed to anthrax, sarin gas, ricin or tetrodotoxin, but you're probably well aware of at least two poisons: Mercury and botulinum. What's insidious about mercury and botulinum is how both of these deadly toxins hide in plain sight, one contained in "safe" vaccines that harm the minds of babies and the other used to smooth wrinkles and "cure" excessive sweating. Just a reminder, you're exposed to common toxins every day that pose a far greater threat on your health than amatoxin or something called compound 1080. Among them: Create a
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Soft Drinks: Disease in a Can
Health Website Rankings: Mercola.com is Now World's #1!
Can 7-Up Be Considered a ''Natural'' Soft Drink?
Smoothies No Smooth Move For Your Health
Toxic Contact Lens Cleaner a Long-Term Problem