Arsenic in fruit juices 'exceeds limits for water'
Source: Agencies |
December 2, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ARSENIC levels in some fruit juice samples exceed limits for drinking water and have renewed concerns about the safety of popular childhood drinks, according to a consumer group report.
Product-testing organization Consumer Reports analyzed 88 samples and found that five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had arsenic levels exceeding US federal limits for drinking water.
Brands including Apple & Eve, Great Value, Mott's, Walgreens and Welch's had at least one sample that exceeded the 10 parts per billion threshold, it said.
There are federal standards for arsenic in water but juices are not regulated, the report said.
As juice is a dietary mainstay for many children, the group said they could be particularly vulnerable to health issues associated with arsenic, including certain forms of cancer.
The 88 samples came from 28 apple and three grape juice branded products bought by Consumer Reports, including ready-to-drink bottles, juice boxes and cans of concentrate from different stores in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas. The findings were released online on Wednesday.
The Juice Products Association said comparing juice to water standards was inappropriate. "Producers are confident the juice being sold today is safe," said Gail Charnley, a toxicologist for the association.
The US Food and Drug Administration said the vast majority of apple juice it tested contained low levels of arsenic and it was confident in the safety of the products.
Consumer Reports also found about a quarter of the juice samples had lead levels at or above the federal limit for bottled water.
Product-testing organization Consumer Reports analyzed 88 samples and found that five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had arsenic levels exceeding US federal limits for drinking water.
Brands including Apple & Eve, Great Value, Mott's, Walgreens and Welch's had at least one sample that exceeded the 10 parts per billion threshold, it said.
There are federal standards for arsenic in water but juices are not regulated, the report said.
As juice is a dietary mainstay for many children, the group said they could be particularly vulnerable to health issues associated with arsenic, including certain forms of cancer.
The 88 samples came from 28 apple and three grape juice branded products bought by Consumer Reports, including ready-to-drink bottles, juice boxes and cans of concentrate from different stores in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas. The findings were released online on Wednesday.
The Juice Products Association said comparing juice to water standards was inappropriate. "Producers are confident the juice being sold today is safe," said Gail Charnley, a toxicologist for the association.
The US Food and Drug Administration said the vast majority of apple juice it tested contained low levels of arsenic and it was confident in the safety of the products.
Consumer Reports also found about a quarter of the juice samples had lead levels at or above the federal limit for bottled water.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
