News Bits

The wire services occasionally offer some interesting chemical information to ponder, to wit:

1) Benzene -  The FDA is speculating that changes in analytical methods may be the cause for recent results showing low levels of benzene in some drinks. In the past, the FDA protocol allowed heating of samples to 100 deg C for thirty minutes, conditions which may favor decarboxylation of benzoic acid to form traces of benzene. Products having ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate as ingredients may have been affected.

2) Perchlorate - There has been a report that the presence of traces of perchlorate has been confirmed in some vitamins.  While the source is uncertain, one possibility is seaweed - which has long been known to be rich in iodide, possibly collected by a mechanism that is capable of concentrating naturally occurring perchlorate as well.