Is there no end to what we need to know to protect our family’s health these days? Did you know that there is even danger lurking inside those soda cans you purchased at your supermarket?!
It appears that benzene, a carcinogen causing leukemia and usually associated with cigarette smoke or gasoline fumes, is also found in many soft drinks. This should be a red flag on your high-alert list. Especially if you leave your groceries in your car on a hot summer day, or the liquor store where you purchased the soda cans keeps them in front of the shop’s sunny window.
We at Tony’s Body Shop are committed to bringing you and your family important updates for your protection and well-being. This issue of our newsletter gives you some surprising information to help you protect your family’s health.
Benzene in Soda Pop? Do I really need to be concerned?!! Paleeze…
Dear Reader, your writer is tired of being a food purist. Especially when she’s recovering from a stomach bug or….too much wine, as was recently the case. So, imagine her surprise after researching this story when she reached for that tried and true remedy – ginger ale – with sugar, not that diet stuff with aspartame (but that’s for another story) and discovered that her trusted ginger ale also contained the culprits that could create benzene.
Benzene, my friend, is a chemical that is linked to leukemia and other types of cancer. Benzene can be formed when ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and the preservative sodium benzoate are used in combination. And guess what two key ingredients are in most soft drinks? Right. Ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. They were even in my ginger ale!!
Now the FDA (the Federal Drug Administration) says that most levels of benzene found in soft drinks are within the same safety levels as in water, which they (the FDA) regulate. However, the FDA can’t regulate when sodas are subjected to heat, i.e. in a liquor store window or the trunk of your car.
Also, sometimes some of soft drinks the FDA checks have been found to contain benzene at four to ten times what they should be and then the FDA pulls them off the shelf. And over the past 10 years, Consumer Watch groups have found that there are sometimes 10 to 100 times the safety levels they should be. The real problem, however, is that there is little consistency in the tests and the toxicity of the benzene levels can change from can to can.
Please note that more than 1,500 soft drink products containing sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or citric acid have been launched across Europe, Latin America and North America since January 2002. Random tests are done by various organizations including the World Health Organization and international health groups; but again, they are random and the results may be inconsistent.
So what can we do to protect ourselves and our kids?
Read the labels. Know what’s in your food and drink. Just because something is sold in the supermarket doesn’t mean that product is harmless. Ginger ale is supposed to be safe. My mother and grandmother always told me to drink ginger ale when I was sick, as I told my children. Ginger ale meant being taken care of… it held warm memories and something we could count on. And then I discovered another word on that label: “high fructose corn syrup”! There wasn’t even sugar in my ginger ale. Enough! Was nothing sacred?!
For more information on benzene and soft drinks:
- Google “Benzene and soft drinks”
- Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/c-voc/benzene.html
- History and Origin of Benzene in Soft Drinks http://www.schoolpouringrights.com
Some Thoughts for Today:
“Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.” ...Sophia Loren
“The earth has enough for man’s need, but not for every man’s greed.” ...Mahatma Gandhi
“There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.” ...G.K. Chesterton
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Why should you refer your family and friends to Tony's Body Shop?
- What we offer with every repair job:
- Guaranteed color match
- Accurate panel to panel alignment
- Repairing the vehicle to a safe condition
- Your 100% satisfaction is our goal.
- At Tony's Body Shop you can still find service, a smile, and a sincere thank you if you allow us to service your auto body needs.
- Please feel free to call us if we can be of help or guide you in any way.
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