Hyperspeed wrote:
by Cymric:
Don't overreact---benzene formation isn't that important unless you keep foddstuffs outside of the fridge in full sunlight.
[quote[The BBC report didn't mention light as being a significant catalyst - the reaction was taking place in storage. And isn't it precisely when there is bright sunshine that people are going to want to drink Lucozade for refreshment?
It does take place in storage, but much more slowly. Sunlight really provides the 'oompf' for the reaction. Lowering the temperature by 10 degrees cuts the reaction rate in half (old chemist's rule of thumb). But still: it requires a significant amount of sunlight (I recall about a day) before really elevated concentrations of benzene are reached. We're still talking low amounts on an absolute scale, though, and drinking such a bottle of 'spiked' Lucozade won't harm you. Now if you were to ingest gallons upon gallons, yes, then, perhaps.
By the way: I didn't know people stored their drinks in open sunlight... They usually keep them in a bag underneath lots of material so the drink stays cool :p
... that bottle you leave on the beach in the afternoon sun... a ticking cancer timebomb!
I think it is about as carcinogenic as walking around in a large city on a hot, sunny afternoon. Phrases like 'ticking cancer timebomb' are nothing but sensational flourish to scare the population.
(Not to mention new research that suggests the plastics used in the bottle can leak chemicals simular to oestrogen).
Not the phthalate-scare again... This is getting old. The true source of scary phthalates---to make plastic pliable and soft---has been banned from most toys and to my knowledge platics used to store food in. No more source of leaky oestrogenes from that. The second source would be PET, but you need to use
really old and
really worn bottles (high temperatures, lots of sunlight, lots of agressive liquids, lots of physical stress) in order to coax a
little of the material out into the liquid it's containing. It is far likelier that you have a beautiful lining of algae in the bottle long before that happens.
When you say benzoic acid is present in fruits, does this mean Sodium Benzoate?
Yes. Or another salt, say with potassium or calcium.
Anyway, the food standards people weren't asking for the Sodium Benzoate to be removed from Lucozade, they wanted the Vitamin C removed for some odd reason. They suggested that there were other opportunities to get this anti-oxidant other than in soft drinks.
That would be a worthwhile suggestion. One of the two chemicals (ascorbic acid or benzoic acid) has to go if you don't want the benzene reaction to occur. It is a bit silly to remove naturally occurring ascorbic acid from fruit juice, but you don't have to exacerbate the problem by adding
more.
In fact, it's either Norway or Sweden has banned Cornflakes as the Vitamin content is deemed a risk to the liver.
Sounds like too much vitamin A or pro-vitamin A, not C. A is known to be a bit of a problem in too high doses: especially pregnant women need to be careful not to overdo it, as it can harm their child. Vitamin C is relatively safe in that regard---at least, I've never heard of any other problem save the benzoic acid one.
But it's Coca Cola's ability to clean tarnished spoons, patios etc. that should pose the greatest warning. Have you noticed too that everyone who drinks Diet Coke is a fat ass?
I kindly request you not refer to me as a 'fat ass'. According to my girlfriend, my ass is just right: perfect for little slaps and nibbles. I also happen to
like my diet Coke quite a lot, thank you very much: it doesn't taste as sweet as regular Coke, and quenches my thirst better because of that.
(Aspartame has been linked to brain cell death as well!)
What hasn't?
Lately, I've begun switching to water: simple, costs almost nothing, and no health-issues whatsoever.
