If despite all the health warnings about drinking sodas (sugared water) you still enjoy them several times a day, chances are you’re drinking benzene.
From the wikipedia definition: “a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It is a carcinogen… no longer used as an additive in gasoline…Benzene is a natural constituent of crude oil, but it is usually synthesized from other compounds present in petroleum. “
How does it get in your soda? “Two popular ingredients found in soda and juice drinks can tun toxic when mixed together under certain conditions.
Two of those chemicals, vitamin C and benzoate, are popular additives in many soft drinks and beverages. Under certain conditions, these two chemicals react to form benzene – a human carcinogen. If drinks are exposed to heat and sunlight, it can accelerate the creation of benzene.”
“We found that as FDA was assuring the public that everything was fine, their own data showed that nearly 80 percent of diet soda they had tested during a five year period had levels of benzene…above that of drinking water,”
(Full story and video on CBS)
I have heard about the benzene issue, but it seems to me that you would have to consume a ton of soda a day for it to have high enough benzene levels to at all effect you. I think too much of anything is bad for you, but in moderation I think drinking soda is still okay.