Congress is taking action today in safeguarding children against the high levels of arsenic recently found in juices.
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, will join health advocates at a New Jersey preschool today to call for the passage of the Arsenic Prevention and Protection from Lead Exposure in Juice Act of 2012’’ or the ‘‘APPLE Juice Act of 2012.’’
In a news release, Congressman Pallone said:
Recent testing of samples of apple juice in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from multiple brands found alarmingly high levels of arsenic and lead that exceeded federal bottled and public-water standards. The primary consumers of fruit juice are children, presenting a health hazard for the nation’s youth. High levels of arsenic were also recently discovered in baby formulas containing organic brown rice syrup, causing further concern about chronic arsenic exposure. The APPLE Juice Act of 2012, introduced by Congressman Pallone, will require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish standards for arsenic and lead in fruit juices to better protect children and public health.
The bill was introduced after samples of juices around the country revealed some cases of extremely high levels of arsenic.
However, recent tests have also found high levels of arsenic in rice and brown rice syrup products (click here for more information on why rice is often high in arsenic and how to pick rice products with lower levels).
It has yet to be seen if the bill will be altered to include rice products and other foods that may be high in arsenic.
Arsenic was once widely used in pesticides and is still used in some countries. This poison is linked to cancer, learning problems, immune disorders and a host of other health issues.
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