Would you like Cancer with your Soft drink?

As consumers we all too often assume that manufacturers know everything there is to know about chemical combinations in the products they sell to us and the possible impacts on our health. Here is an example. Benzene is a carcinogen which means it can cause cancer in humans. Benzene can be created by a chemical reaction between ingredients when manufacturers add Vitamin C to soft drinks. So here is a dilemma. As a consumer, you think a drink with added Vitamin C is going to be good for your health. The product may have been marketed to you with this benefit! But maybe the manufacturer simply did not know of the potential chemical cocktail they were creating. There are some interesting articles to read on this issue in particular:

• J Agric Food Chem December 12, 2007; 56 (2): 571–576
• Dr Mercola
• Science Daily January 7, 2008