FDA Study - Benzene in Soft Drinks

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted studies on soft drinks and other beverages to determine benzene levels in these products. Soft drinks and other beverages may contain benzoate salts (such as sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate), which act as a preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Beverages may also contain Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to prevent spoilage or to provide additional nutrients. Under certain light and heat conditions, benzoate salts can react with ascorbic acid to form benzene.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no regulatory limits for benzene in beverages other than bottled water, it uses the standard set by the EPA, which is 5 parts benzene per billion parts of water (ppb) as the maximum allowable level of benzene in drinking water.

A 2005-2006 survey by the FDA and Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) shows that most soft drinks and other beverages to date do not pose a safety concern, since the benzene levels found in those products are either negligible or below 5 ppb. However, while the FDA believes that the beverage industry has taken appropriate steps to reduce benzene levels, it continues to follow-up with companies who produce beverages that exhibited high benzene levels according to this latest survey.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Exposure to Benzene

Breathing high levels of benzene can lead to signs and symptoms which manifest themselves within minutes to several hours. These symptoms include:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• rapid or irregular heartbeat
• headaches
• tremors
• confusion
• unconsciousness
• death (if exposed to very high levels)

Consuming food and beverages with high levels of benzene can also result in symptoms within minutes to several hours including: