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Coca-Cola is the new Alar!
May. 28th, 2007 11:15 amOkay, as has been reported on Slashdot, there is research showing that sodium benzoate (a common preservative found in all kinds of things, like sodas) can affect the mitochondria in cells. The article Slashdot refers to is here, at the Independent.
Read the article. Then think... what stands out?
Well, one, there's no indication of any figures at all. What was the amount/concentration of sodium benzoate used in the tests? And how many sodas per day would that equal in a human being?
Two, there's all these fuzzy adjectives in the article. Sodium benzoate is used in "large" quantities to prevent mold. The concern is for children who are drinking "large" quantities of soda.
Well, what's large? Let's take the first example... how much sodium benzoate is a "large" quantity in sodas?
Well, according to what I found online, a can of Coke (12 oz.) has 1.15 milligrams of sodium benzoate. The FDA prohibits amounts greater then 0.1% in food and drink.
Well, a can of Coke is 12 fluid ounces, which is 340.2 grams. Therefore, 0.1% is 340 milligrams. This means that a soda could have as much as 340 milligrams of Sodium benzoate in it and still be okay according to the FDA guidelines.
But Coke only has 1.15 milligrams. This means you could drink almost 300 cans of Coke a day before having to worry about being above the FDA guidelines.
Well, clearly, my concept of large (3 or 4 sodas a day) is different from the Independent's idea of large (300 sodas a day).
Now, the FDA guidelines I'm quoting? They're from 1999. I'm going to admit that, yeah, they might be out of date. Let's say that, for sake of arguement, the safe amount is 1/10th what the FDA has. That's still 30 sodas a day, more then damn near anyone ever drinks.
Frankly, the article comes across as the newest Alar scare, where the tests in that case that caused all the panic were based upon concentrations that would have requires a human to drink 5000 gallons of apple juice a day to meet the same amount of Alar.
Read the article. Then think... what stands out?
Well, one, there's no indication of any figures at all. What was the amount/concentration of sodium benzoate used in the tests? And how many sodas per day would that equal in a human being?
Two, there's all these fuzzy adjectives in the article. Sodium benzoate is used in "large" quantities to prevent mold. The concern is for children who are drinking "large" quantities of soda.
Well, what's large? Let's take the first example... how much sodium benzoate is a "large" quantity in sodas?
Well, according to what I found online, a can of Coke (12 oz.) has 1.15 milligrams of sodium benzoate. The FDA prohibits amounts greater then 0.1% in food and drink.
Well, a can of Coke is 12 fluid ounces, which is 340.2 grams. Therefore, 0.1% is 340 milligrams. This means that a soda could have as much as 340 milligrams of Sodium benzoate in it and still be okay according to the FDA guidelines.
But Coke only has 1.15 milligrams. This means you could drink almost 300 cans of Coke a day before having to worry about being above the FDA guidelines.
Well, clearly, my concept of large (3 or 4 sodas a day) is different from the Independent's idea of large (300 sodas a day).
Now, the FDA guidelines I'm quoting? They're from 1999. I'm going to admit that, yeah, they might be out of date. Let's say that, for sake of arguement, the safe amount is 1/10th what the FDA has. That's still 30 sodas a day, more then damn near anyone ever drinks.
Frankly, the article comes across as the newest Alar scare, where the tests in that case that caused all the panic were based upon concentrations that would have requires a human to drink 5000 gallons of apple juice a day to meet the same amount of Alar.