Are Too Many Sodas Harmful ?

Consumer Reports: Too many sodas contain potential carcinogen

(CNN) -- A chemical found in many sodas may be dangerous to your health, Consumer Reports says. And no, it's not sugar (this time).

The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI. On U.S. product labels it appears simply as "caramel coloring."

 

Those who say the chemical may possibly cause cancer include the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer and the state of California, which now limits manufacturers to 29 micrograms of exposure for the average consumer per day.

 

Foods exceeding that limit have to carry a warning label that reads: "WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer."

 

But when Consumer Reports purchased sodas in California and had them analyzed by a lab, it found that one 12-ounce serving of Pepsi One or Malta Goya exceeded the levels permitted without a warning label.

 

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