Aug 6, 2009
Mother Jones magazine gives readers another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup. Besides increasing the risk for obesity and diabetes, the sweetener has been found to be contaminated with mercury, according to an article in the July/August 2009 issue.
The story said an FDA researcher stumbled upon an obscure report about mercury emissions from chemical plants making lye. She wondered if lye - a component in HFCS production - was tainted with the heavy metal.
A national lab and a UC Davis lab found mercury in most HFCS samples. The FDA said the mercury is elemental, the least likely form to cause health problems in humans. But the lab that analyzed the samples believes there's a good chance the mercury is the readily absorbable organic form, the story said.
The analysts "said in so many words, 'It doesn't look like inorganic,'" the article quoted UC Davis research engineer Peter Green. "They would even say it's more likely not the regular elemental mercury."
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