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Caustic Soda: The Need To Test For Benzene

Ross E. Getman, Esq. - 9/25/2005

Five hundred dead fish in Japan, including eels and carp, are a reminder that sometimes dangerous chemicals are involved in the production of soda. Two thousand six hundred forty gallons of sodium hydroxide (better known as caustic soda or lye) leaked into a river from a Coca-Cola factory. The sodium hydroxide is used to sterilize plastic beverage bottles. In an unrelated development, internal documents disclosed for the first time this past week by a whistleblower demonstrate the importance of testing certain sodas regularly for a different dangerous chemical: benzene.

In 1990, the industry was stunned to learn that sodium benzoate, used widely as an artificial preservative, interacted with ascorbic acid to form benzene, a known carcinogen. Testing indicated that heat and sunlight accelerated the process, which was strongest in diet drinks.

Early in 1990, benzene had been found in Perrier. But in that instance, the contamination was due to a contaminated supply of carbon dioxide. First the company suggested a worker had used a rag with a solvent. Then the company announced that 13 bottles had been affected. In time, after additional testing, the company finally made a worldwide recall. The management response is used as a textbook example of how not to handle such a problem. The contaminated Perrier had been discovered after an agency in North Carolina was testing a local water supply and using Perrier as the standard. If there are over 5 parts ber billion in a water supply, radios and newspapers have to be called.

Later that year, the maker of a fruit-based beverage had to make a similar recall after testing by an agency in Florida detected benzene. This time contaminated carbon dioxide was not the source. Documents from a large soda company show an intense research project focused on why their own fruit-flavored beverages tested positive for benzene -- some at shockingly high levels. Different hypotheses were explored. The scientists and senior managers found that the benzene resulted from an interaction between the sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (or its cousin erythorbic acid). The most shocking finding of all was that heat alone - and especially heat and ultraviolet - led to even much higher levels. The presence of citric acid also accelerated the increase.

Various fixes were promptly tested. For example, calcium disodium EDTA was one fix. Another was to substitute potassium sorbate for benzoate. Perhaps it was deemed impractical to fully substitute sorbate because of its bad taste. Reducing the benzoate by half did not do the trick - to slow the formation of benzene, it was necessary to reduce the benzoate by 75%.

In India, government findings have established that the soda products there contain pesticides. A public interest group first brought the findings to light. The fight in India now is whether the soda companies need to disclose the amount of pesticide on the label so that consumers can make an informed choice on whether they want to drink it. The soda companies oppose disclosing the level of pesticides in the drinks there. The public therefore should not rely on the soda companies to reveal whether their products contain benzene.

This is especially true in countries outside the US and Canada where it eems from reading the ingredients labels there has been no technical "fix" added. One at a minimum can only hope that the levels of benzoate were drastically reduced.

On this question of the tendency of benzene to form in products worldwide where the product contains both ascorbic acid and either sodium or potassium benzoate), the first step is to do testing of products worldwide. Testing should be focused on products that do not appear to have any of the conspicuous fixes, to include for example calcium disodium EDTA. Moreover, testing must be done on the effect of heat and sunlight. Much of the world does not live in the air-conditioned comfort of many in the United States.

The soda companies insist on marketing soda to students while they are a captive audience at school. Under recently announced guidelines, the companies still sell soda to middle school students. Our kids deserve better than those fish in Japan. It is our responsibility as parents throughout the world to see that the testing is immediately done by independent, certified labs.