4 ms·

Just to clarify, they were measuring the juices and sodas against the standards for water, not food in general. It's still not great, but I believe the standard

Just to clarify, they were measuring the juices and sodas against the standards for water, not food in general. It's still not great, but I believe the standards for water are much stricter than for food because it is consumed in such great quantities. So this isn't as big a deal as when rice is found to have too much arsenic, or chocolate has high levels of heavy metals — measured against food standards.

armchairhacker 4y ago
Still not good for the people who chug several 64oz bottles of Diet Coke a day
- olliej 4y ago
  That’s why I stick to cans of non-diet soda :D :D
  - DANmode 4y ago
    Are cans still coated?
    - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
      I think they were making a joke which presumes that they are. (I also wish I could answer your question but I do not know.)
    - olliej 4y ago
      I was making a joke :D But to answer the question I believe that they are -- I still see periodic demonstrations of dissolving a full can of soda with acid leaving the soda contained (first yt hit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xIVONw9Pr4w https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xIVONw9Pr4w)
    - yamtaddle 4y ago
      Yeah, and so are e.g. canned veggies or beans or fruit. More food touching plastic, but somewhat less botulism and spoilage than before we did that.
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  I suppose those people might have bigger problems.
- philshem 4y ago
  > Man Who Drinks 5 Diet Cokes Per Day Hoping Doctors Working On Cure For Whatever He’s Getting https://www.theonion.com/man-who-drinks-5-diet-cokes-per-day-hoping-doctors-work-1819575868 https://www.theonion.com/man-who-drinks-5-diet-cokes-per-day...
- msluyter 4y ago
  I feel seen. Diet Coke is my albatross, and it has all the hallmarks of a serious addiction. I'm currently going through another round to trying to stop, and I'm seriously always thirsty and craving it.
  - nix0n 4y ago
    In my experience, caffeine addiction and "other stuff in diet cola" addiction are two separate things. It might not be possible to kick both at once, but I feel like my life is better since switching mostly to coffee. Good luck!
    - doubled112 4y ago
      I think black coffee gives me the caffeine I need to get through the day without most of the harmful effects of Coke, diet or otherwise.
  - throw_pm23 4y ago
    Just drink plain water, we've been doing that for millions of years.
  - loopdoend 4y ago
    Bill Gates drinks it every day it can't possibly be bad for you. At least that's what I tell myself.
    - autoexec 4y ago
      If I could afford the kind of healthcare Bill Gates can, I could poison myself every day without worry.
  - kelipso 4y ago
    Green tea, lemon juice, bit of salt, chilled gets me that hit. Not diet coke, specifically just sodas in general.
justin66 4y ago
> I believe the standards for water are much stricter than for food because it is consumed in such great quantities. No, that's not why you so often see reference to the defined safe level of toxins in water when talking about foods. FDA does not always have standards defined for levels of those toxins in food, but there might be a level defined by EPA for water. If you want an official, scientifically plausible number to fall back on, the level defined for water is at least something. For example, FDA didn't have a defined safe level of arsenic in rice-based foods for infants until 2020, and there's still no defined safe level of for adults AFAIK. There's nothing mysterious about this: the ag industry lobbies against these standards, and lobbies to weaken them as much as possible when they exist. But babies are cute, so eventually FDA made a standard, at least for infants - after years of pressure from groups like Consumer Reports. The paper referenced in the article says: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed an action level of 10 μg/L of inorganic arsenic in apple juice (USFDA, 2013). which suggests that at the time of writing, there's isn't an official number defined by the FDA. Based on the language on the FDA's website [0] I assume "draft guidance" (which has been in existence as a "draft" for a decade) means producers won't be held accountable for exceeding the numbers there. https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/arsenic-food-and-dietary-supplements https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/ars...
- ajd1988 4y ago
  Ah, the classic dance between regulatory agencies, lobbyists, and the cuteness of babies. It's fascinating how the lack of standards for certain toxins in food can lead us to lean on the water-based standards, even though it might not be the most accurate comparison. I suppose it is a decent fallback -but it's a reminder that regulatory frameworks could use some refinement!
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    Cute that your response to endless collusion is that it's "decent" but “needs some refinement”. Have fun advocating for that with your vote at the polling station.
pfdietz 4y ago
> rice is found to have too much arsenic BTW, I read of a better way to cook brown rice that reduces arsenic. Instead of 1 part rice, 2 parts water, simmer for 45 minutes, one does this: 1. Cook brown 1 part brown rice in 6 parts water for 30 minutes. 2. Strain to remove the water. Put rice in a steamer basket. 3. Steam for 10 minutes. Much of the arsenic is carried away in the water in step 2. The rice also comes out much fluffier.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  Sounds interesting, and plausible. It's unfortunate that brown rice has more arsenic than white, since much of it is in the husk (brown part). I wonder how much this cooking method equalizes things (and if it would also be helpful for white rice).
- nicholasjarnold 4y ago
  I read something along these lines in the past couple of years too. Seeing this comment here I've taken the liberty of finding something 'official' in this regard. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16876928/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16876928/ tl;dr - rinse your rice with clean water and then cook it at a ratio of 1:6 rice:water followed by draining the excess water will more than halve the amount of arsenic in the finished product edit - tl;dr updated for accuracy

armchairhacker 4y ago

Still not good for the people who chug several 64oz bottles of Diet Coke a day

olliej 4y ago
That’s why I stick to cans of non-diet soda :D :D
- DANmode 4y ago
  Are cans still coated?
  - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
    I think they were making a joke which presumes that they are. (I also wish I could answer your question but I do not know.)
  - olliej 4y ago
    I was making a joke :D But to answer the question I believe that they are -- I still see periodic demonstrations of dissolving a full can of soda with acid leaving the soda contained (first yt hit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xIVONw9Pr4w https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xIVONw9Pr4w)
  - yamtaddle 4y ago
    Yeah, and so are e.g. canned veggies or beans or fruit. More food touching plastic, but somewhat less botulism and spoilage than before we did that.
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
I suppose those people might have bigger problems.
philshem 4y ago
> Man Who Drinks 5 Diet Cokes Per Day Hoping Doctors Working On Cure For Whatever He’s Getting https://www.theonion.com/man-who-drinks-5-diet-cokes-per-day-hoping-doctors-work-1819575868 https://www.theonion.com/man-who-drinks-5-diet-cokes-per-day...
msluyter 4y ago
I feel seen. Diet Coke is my albatross, and it has all the hallmarks of a serious addiction. I'm currently going through another round to trying to stop, and I'm seriously always thirsty and craving it.
- nix0n 4y ago
  In my experience, caffeine addiction and "other stuff in diet cola" addiction are two separate things. It might not be possible to kick both at once, but I feel like my life is better since switching mostly to coffee. Good luck!
  - doubled112 4y ago
    I think black coffee gives me the caffeine I need to get through the day without most of the harmful effects of Coke, diet or otherwise.
- throw_pm23 4y ago
  Just drink plain water, we've been doing that for millions of years.
- loopdoend 4y ago
  Bill Gates drinks it every day it can't possibly be bad for you. At least that's what I tell myself.
  - autoexec 4y ago
    If I could afford the kind of healthcare Bill Gates can, I could poison myself every day without worry.
- kelipso 4y ago
  Green tea, lemon juice, bit of salt, chilled gets me that hit. Not diet coke, specifically just sodas in general.

justin66 4y ago

> I believe the standards for water are much stricter than for food because it is consumed in such great quantities. No, that's not why you so often see reference to the defined safe level of toxins in water when talking about foods. FDA does not always have standards defined for levels of those toxins in food, but there might be a level defined by EPA for water. If you want an official, scientifically plausible number to fall back on, the level defined for water is at least something. For example, FDA didn't have a defined safe level of arsenic in rice-based foods for infants until 2020, and there's still no defined safe level of for adults AFAIK. There's nothing mysterious about this: the ag industry lobbies against these standards, and lobbies to weaken them as much as possible when they exist. But babies are cute, so eventually FDA made a standard, at least for infants - after years of pressure from groups like Consumer Reports. The paper referenced in the article says: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed an action level of 10 μg/L of inorganic arsenic in apple juice (USFDA, 2013). which suggests that at the time of writing, there's isn't an official number defined by the FDA. Based on the language on the FDA's website [0] I assume "draft guidance" (which has been in existence as a "draft" for a decade) means producers won't be held accountable for exceeding the numbers there. https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/arsenic-food-and-dietary-supplements https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/ars...

ajd1988 4y ago
Ah, the classic dance between regulatory agencies, lobbyists, and the cuteness of babies. It's fascinating how the lack of standards for certain toxins in food can lead us to lean on the water-based standards, even though it might not be the most accurate comparison. I suppose it is a decent fallback -but it's a reminder that regulatory frameworks could use some refinement!
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  Cute that your response to endless collusion is that it's "decent" but “needs some refinement”. Have fun advocating for that with your vote at the polling station.

pfdietz 4y ago

> rice is found to have too much arsenic BTW, I read of a better way to cook brown rice that reduces arsenic. Instead of 1 part rice, 2 parts water, simmer for 45 minutes, one does this: 1. Cook brown 1 part brown rice in 6 parts water for 30 minutes. 2. Strain to remove the water. Put rice in a steamer basket. 3. Steam for 10 minutes. Much of the arsenic is carried away in the water in step 2. The rice also comes out much fluffier.

gnicholas 4y ago
Sounds interesting, and plausible. It's unfortunate that brown rice has more arsenic than white, since much of it is in the husk (brown part). I wonder how much this cooking method equalizes things (and if it would also be helpful for white rice).
nicholasjarnold 4y ago
I read something along these lines in the past couple of years too. Seeing this comment here I've taken the liberty of finding something 'official' in this regard. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16876928/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16876928/ tl;dr - rinse your rice with clean water and then cook it at a ratio of 1:6 rice:water followed by draining the excess water will more than halve the amount of arsenic in the finished product edit - tl;dr updated for accuracy