Mercury In HFCS: Should We Stop Buying Our Favorite Food Products?

By Margarita Nahapetyan

One of the latest discoveries by the scientists showed the presence of mercury in some commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), an ingredient used in many popular processed foods. HFCS is being used as a sweetener replacing sugar in such popular items as breads, cereals, snack bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, ice cream and condiments.

Experts performed tests on 55 corn syrup-rich brand-name foods and found that almost one in three products contained mercury. According to the research, conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), mercury was most often present in salad dressings, condiments, and dairy products. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons of HFCS each day, but teenagers, for example, can intake as much as 80 per cent of HFCS daily.

According to the Institute, the research was commenced due to the early awareness of the results presented in Environmental Science journal recently. This led the scientists to dig deeper on a possible contamination of mercury in popular foods containing high fructose corn syrup. The study started by visiting supermarkets and collecting multiple brand-named products which listed high fructose corn syrup presence as a main ingredient. The products were then transferred to a commercial laboratory for mercury testing.

Tested items included beverages like Coca-Cola Classic, Dr. Pepper, Fanta, 7-Up, A & W Root Beer, and Minute Maid Berry Punch. Famous products like Aunt Jemima Original Syrup, Campbell's Tomato Soup, Heinz Hotdog Relish and Tomato Ketchup, Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce, Hershey's Caramel and Chocolate Syrups, Wish-Bone Thousand Island and Western Sweet and Smooth Dressings, Nesquik Chocolate Milk, and Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt, underwent the testing procedure as well.

In 17 out of 55 tested products detectable levels of mercury were rich in high-fructose corn syrup. Dr. David Wallinga from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and a co-author of a study, together with his colleagues believe that mercury got into the food during processing, at plants that use old fashioned mercury technology, although the team was not able to prove this. Scientists suggested that mercury in the tested foods was most probably due to the use of high fructose corn syrup that had been contaminated with mercury. It also can be true that the producers themselves were more likely unaware of the mercury content in the foods they were selling until this report was released.

Wallinga explained that mercury is used to make caustic soda (sodium hydroxide or lye), which is one of the products used to make high-fructose corn syrup. "The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients," he said.

To all this Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, strongly reacted in his statement, saying that "This study appears to be based on an outdated information of dubious significance. Our industry has used mercury-free versions of the two re-agents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years. These mercury-free re-agents perform important functions, including adjusting pH balances."

Mr. Erickson also underlined that for more than 150 years corn wet millers have been refining corn, eventually perfecting the processes, to supply Americans with safe ingredients. He assured everyone that high fructose corn syrup is safe and people should now about it.

So what is Mercury and what are its effects on human health?

Mercury (Hg) is a heavy metal that is liquid at or near room temperature. It is mostly obtained from the mineral cinnabar and is deposited worldwide. Although Mercury is harmless in insoluble forms, it is poisonous in its soluble forms. People are often exposed to mercury when they eat certain fish with stores of mercury in their bodies. Larger fish like shark, swordfish, and tilefish tend to store larger amounts of mercury in their tissues.

Exposure to mercury has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects, problems during pregnancy, mental retardation, problems with kidneys, lungs, immune system and a number of other serious health-related conditions. Despite of the fact that modern uses of mercury are mostly industrial, it appears to be a very common ingredient in mascara, for example, and is present in nearly all dental amalgams.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," concluded Dr. Wallinga.