meta-dad

Soda, Benzene and You

So we all already know that cancer rates in this country are some of the highest in the world. I always wondered if there is any one thing that is the influence or if it is a dubious array of influencers that heighten our chances for cancerous growth. Is it those high voltage power lines that draped through the neighborhood I grew up in? Is it the toxic fumes that leak up through the soil of my old elementary school? Maybe it’s the LA smog I breath everyday? Or the benzene in my soft drink?

Yeah, that’s right – benzene. Like a high school science experiment, you can cook it up by combining ascorbic acid (otherwise known as Vitamin C – a common preservative in soda) with any form of sodium benzoate (a broad spectrum antimicrobial, inhibiting bacteria, molds, and yeasts) like potassium benzoate or sodium benzoate. And if you’re pressed for time, just throw in a pinch of citric acid (another common additive) into the mix – it seems it is a decent accelerant. And, viola – you have yourself a potent carcinogenic. Now keep this in mind as you stumble around to some of the related links below, especially the article from the Independent;

the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells known as the mitochondria… the mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it – as happens in a number if diseased states – then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA – Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging.” ~ The Independent

Evidently the F.D.A. is aware of this but has not shared it’s findings with the general public. The general finding is that soda contains four times the amount of benzene then what is found in tap water. Heat, light and shelf life are major contributors as to whether benzene will form in soda, according to the F.D.A. The products that concern me the most are the new soda products like Diet Coke Plus that are vitamin enriched, meaning they have extra vitamin C in them – great.

Related Links;
Wikipedia: Benzene in Soft Drinks
The Independent: Some Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm Your Health
FDA: Benzene in Soda Above the Limit of Tap Water