Two boogiemen for the price of one

[Spunk-Monkey]

So in today's news, i saw where traces of mercury are reportedly being found in some high fructose corn syrup and their products.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2009/01/28/mercury-found-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html

I've only found a couple references to it so far today, but they seem to love the quote:

"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..."​

(Is it just me, or is "in all its forms" put out there rather superfluously, almost as if it were a wedge for the thimerosal haters? The article above also implies a conspiracy. But i digress.)

I've seen several comments online jumping to the common accusations of high fructose corn syrup in general. Is there really any difference calorie-for-calorie between HFCS and sugar and how our bodies metabolize them? It's one of those things i've heard but never knew who to ask before.

Either way, i wanted to point this out. My spider-sense is detecting some Frankenstein rakes and pitchforks in the crowd.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I found a long discussion here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/7sunv/breaking_highfructose_corn_syrup_found_to_contain/

The most sensible piece I saw in a quick scan was this:

Your daily-dose of ******** busting FYI:
This Washington Post article is based on a news feed article from a news site (HealthDay News) which based its article on a press release ("Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup") from a trade group (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) which wrote the press release about its (self-published) report which is almost solely based upon a study published in Environmental Health journal, which concludes as follows:

"An EHO at the FDA conducted an investigation of the chlor-alkali industry in 2004 and found mercury residue in all of the mercury cell chlor-alkali products including caustic soda, chlorine, potassium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid. Mercury is widely accepted to be a neurotoxic heavy metal [23]. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that minimizing any form of mercury exposure is essential for optimal child health and nervous system development [6]. Current international food processing standards allow 1.0 µg mercury/g caustic soda [21, 22] and there is no standard for mercury in food grade hydrochloric acid. Both of these chemicals may be used to make HFCS. Mercury contamination of food products as a result of the use of mercury contaminated HFCS seems like a very real possibility. With daily per capita consumption of HFCS in the US averaging about 50 grams and daily mercury intakes from HFCS ranging up to 28 µg, this potential source of mercury may exceed other major mources of mercury especially in high-end consumers of beverages sweetened with HFCS. Food products that contain a significant amount of HFCS should be tested for mercury contamination in the end product and the public should be informed of any detections. Clearly, more research is needed to determine the extent of mercury exposure in children from mercury contaminated HFCS in food products.
​

Your spidey sense seems to be in excellent working order.