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In response to lawsuits by several U.S. plaintiffs, Coca-Cola has agreed to compensate individuals who purchased either of two Coca-Cola beverages before September 2006 — Vault Zero and Fanta Pineapple. These soft drinks contained sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, which together can form benzene, a known carcinogen. Coca-Cola has also agreed to stop selling the two beverages.

Benzene Formed by a Combination of Ingredients

Sodium benzoate, a preservative often used in sodas and other beverages, can combine with ascorbic acid or citric acid and break down under heat or light to form benzene. The soft drink industry has known this for at least 15 years, according to internal company memos.

In the early 1990s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration encouraged the American soft drinks industry to reformulate their products containing ingredients that could cause benzene formation. The levels of benzene that had been found in soft drinks were not proven to cause harm to humans, but Coca-Cola agreed at the time to post a special message on the company’s website regarding benzene in Coca-Cola products.

Removal of Benzene Ingredients Not Done

The presence of benzene in mass-produced beverages became public knowledge in 2006, after extensive investigation by the company BeverageDaily.com and an American attorney, Ross Getman. The new settlement by Coca-Cola is bound to prompt further questions regarding the issue of why sodium benzoate and ascorbic/citric acid is still being used by Coca-Cola and other soft drink giants such as Pepsi Co.

The International Council of Beverages Association published an industry-wide set of guidelines last year that described ways to limit benzene in beverages. However, both recent FDA tests and independent testing have still found benzene in some soft drinks marketed in the U.S.

(Source: foodqualitynews.com)

Have you been harmed by benzene in a food product or by another means? Contact an experienced product liability attorney today to discuss your legal rights.