Arsenic in juice

People who consume apple and grape juice or parents who have children who drink apple or grape juice may want to pay attention to new information about arsenic levels in those drinks.

A few months ago, Dr. Oz, who has a daytime television show, reported research findings on his show about arsenic levels and juice. The juice samples that were tested showed high levels of arsenic, some as high as 36 parts per billion (see the arsenic guidelines below).

Consumer Reports followed up with their own study and found that 10% of samples of apple and grape juice had arsenic levels higher than what is allowed in drinking water.

The current FDA guidelines for arsenic in water is no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb). The juice standards are higher at 23 ppb, because it is assumed that people will consume more water than juice in a normal day. The new reports have the FDA testing and possibly rethinking the standards for arsenic in juice. 

It is recommended that younger children (age 1-6) consume no more than 4-6 ounces of 100% fruit juice daily and older children (age 7 and up) consume no more than 8-12 ounces of 100% fruit juice daily (American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP). Many children are drinking more than the recommended amount of fruit juice. If they are drinking apple or grape juice with higher levels of arsenic, that can cause higher levels in the body.

While some these tests did not distinguish the amount of inorganic and organic arsenic in the juice, inorganic arsenic is the one that has harmful health effects. Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen (causes cancer). Other health effects include: irritation of the stomach and intestines, blood vessel damage, skin changes, and reduced nerve function. There is not much research on organic arsenic but it is thought to be less toxic than inorganic arsenic (Centers for Disease Control, CDC)

While more information is forthcoming about arsenic levels in juice, here are some ways you can reduce you and your children's risk.

• Follow the recommendations for juice consumption for children.
• Serve more water or water down the juice for children to help meet the recommendation.
• Some may claim that organic apple juice has less arsenic, but this is not always the case.
• Of the juices tested, the brand with the lowest arsenic level was Welch's Pourable Concentrate 100% Apple Juice (1.1-4.3 total arsenic ppb). Other juices with low arsenic levels include: America's Choice Apple; Tropicana 100% Apple; and Red Jacket Orchards 100% Apple (Consumer Reports). You can view the Consumer Reports report on their website.

This information is not meant to cause alarm for arsenic poisoning. This is a controversial issue and many different organizations have differing opinions. This information is meant as non-bias and informational to present two viewpoints of the research. All of the juices tested did meet the standards for arsenic in juice, the concern was just that they did not meet the standards for drinking water. The FDA says that there is no evidence of any public health risk for drinking apple or grape juice.

To read more about this information, you can do a simple search online for recent news. To read information from the FDA, visit their website on arsenic and juice. The Consumer Reports results have been released, you can find that information on their website.