Snow White fell prey to a poison apple thanks to the Wicked Queen, but our kids are falling prey to poisoned apple juice thanks to the federal government.
As of today, there's absolutely no federal limit for the amounts of arsenic or lead found in fruit juices. The apple juice and arsenic issue came to light this school year when Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of "The Dr. Oz Show," commissioned tests of three dozen apple-juice samples and found that 10 of the products had total arsenic levels exceeding 10 parts per billion (ppb), which is the national limit for bottled and public water.
The FDA tried to reassure the public about the safety of apple juice and insisted that the arsenic found in apple juice and other foods is the "organic" type and "essentially harmless." Consumer Reports (CR) conducted their own study based on a scientific analysis of federal health data, consumer polling, as well as interviews with docs and experts.
Check out the Consumer Report PDF on their complete test results.
Arsenic is an organic, naturally-occurring element that can contaminate ground and drinking waters where it is most abundant. But CR points out that those numbers are compounded by additional amounts used by agricultural and industrial business - about 1.6 million tons of arsenic since 1910 and half of that used only since 1960. Lead-arsenate insecticides were used in cotton fields, orchards and vineyards until they were banned in the '80s, but residual levels still affect current crops.
CR summarized their findings:
* Roughly 10 percent of our juice samples, from five brands, had total arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking-water standards. Most of that arsenic was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.
* One in four samples had lead levels higher than the FDA’s bottled-water limit of 5 ppb. As with arsenic, no federal limit exists for lead in juice.
* Apple and grape juice constitute a significant source of dietary exposure to arsenic, according to our analysis of federal health data from 2003 through 2008.
* Children drink a lot of juice. Thirty-five percent of children 5 and younger drink juice in quantities exceeding pediatricians’ recommendations, our poll of parents shows.
* Mounting scientific evidence suggests that chronic exposure to arsenic and lead even at levels below water standards can result in serious health problems.
* Inorganic arsenic has been detected at disturbing levels in other foods, too, which suggests that more must be done to reduce overall dietary exposure.
The information is scary because kids drink a lot of juice. CR reports, "One in four toddlers 2 and younger and 45 percent of children ages 3 to 5 drink 7 or more ounces of juice a day. The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions that to help prevent obesity and tooth decay, children younger than 6 should drink no more than 6 ounces a day, about the size of a juice box."
Check out the brands you buy for the levels and seriously consider reducing juice consumption. Stick to milk and water.
Here's a quick summary of what CR suggest you do to reduce your family's risk. Check out their site for more detailed information:
* Test your home drinking water
* Limit kids' juice consumption
* Consider your food - even organic juice may still contain arsenic
* Get yourself and your kids tested - simple urine tests can measure arsenic levels
Like Snow White, I don't think you'll drink apple juice the same way again.
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