Why is benzene even used in soft drinks?
To understand how benzene gets into the product, benzoic acid is used as a preservative. If the soda is stored at a high temperature, benzoic acid is broken down to form benzene. “I first read about benzene in the late 90s and at that time, some of these soft drink companies had four times the accepted level of benzene – that meant the benzoic acid had broken down,” says Dr. Molis. “Now, I want to find out if there is a correlation between drinking cola and MDS.” Dr. Molis wants answers to the following questions: • Is there a direct correlation between the consumption of cola, exposure to benzene and MDS? • Are the soft drink companies ignoring the FDA report? • Are these companies actively searching for a benzoic acid substitute which would be safer? • Is the FDA doing anything about it? Are they continuing to test these soft drinks or was this study a one-shot deal?The FDA first [reported] finding low levels of benzene in soft drinks back in November, 2005. It also said that the FDA
