Benzene
Simon Cotton takes a look at those compounds that find themselves in the news or relate to our everyday lives.
Benzene: the compound that led to bottles of soft drink being removed from shelves, but why? And how much is dangerous?
Simon Cotton discusses.
Isn't that the chemical which was recently found to be in soft drinks?
Not all soft drinks - supermarkets removed only a few bottles of soft drinks from their shelves. This was because unacceptable levels of benzene were found in them.
How much is unacceptable?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a top limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb), while the UK's upper limit for benzene in drinking water is even less, at 1 ppb. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the concentration of benzene in drinking water to 5 ppb, and ultimately plans to get down to 0 ppb. There doesn't seem to be any recommended figure in EU legislation. The majority of the 230 drinks tested were below the WHO limit, but the highest level was 28 ppb.
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