[US HFCS is "generally" OK, but the problem is if you are not 100% sure of
the source, there could be risk. Espcially if the aggregate contains Chinese
exported ...]
Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury Wednesday, January 28,
2009; 12:00 AM
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of
commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also
found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products
where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to
two new U.S. studies.
HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as
breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments.
On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens
and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup
is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of
mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by
industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this
avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both
studies, said in a prepared statement.
In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health,
researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of
commercial HFCS.
And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
(IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55
brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in
HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.
But an organization representing the refiners is disputing the results
published in Environmental Health.
"This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious
significance," said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners
Association, in a statement. "Our industry has used mercury-free versions of
the two re-agents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic
soda, for several years. These mercury-free re-agents perform important
functions, including adjusting pH balances."
However, the IATP told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that four plants in
Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia still use "mercury-cell"
technology that can lead to contamination.
IATP's Ben Lilliston also told HealthDay that the Environmental Health
findings were based on information gathered by the FDA in 2005.
And the group's own study, while not peer-reviewed, was based on products
"bought off the shelf in the autumn of 2008," Lilliston added.
The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is
common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce
caustic soda.
"The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food
contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with
mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food
companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients," Wallinga
said in his prepared statement.
More information
The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry has more about
mercury and health: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mercury/
SOURCE: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, news release, Jan. 26,
2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601
831_pf.html
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