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CSE releases new
study on pesticides in soft drinks
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Q. What has CSE found?
In a comprehensive study covering 12 states Centre for Science and Environment
(CSE) has found dangerous levels of pesticides in all samples
of soft drinks tested. Click for a
power
point presentation of what we found. For
the technical lab report, including Gas Chromatograms,
For the latest Down To Earth cover story, explaining the implications
of this find, |
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Q. Why this report?
CSE has worked with Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS), the standard setting agency, for more than three years.
We have constantly discussed and deliberated all
the issues raised by the soft drinks companies. The standard
has been discussed and formulated by top food and nutrition
scientists in the country. But it has not yet been notified.
It cannot be accepted that issues that have been brought to
public light are discounted. Our health forgotten.
Q.
What
is the standards fight about?
Three years ago, CSE found unsafe levels of pesticides in
soft drinks. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), constituted
to judge the CSE report, endorsed the CSE study
and
asked for soft drinks standards to be set. After three years
of deliberations and 20 meetings, the Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) has
but has abstained from notifying it. CSE, a member of the
BIS committee, has fought hard to get the standard notified.
Our letter
to Minister of Health and Public Welfare, Anbumani Ramadoss
(June 15, 2006) outlines our concern.
The deliberate delay is inexplicable and is harmful for public
health. Click
for a chronology of the hard battle for standards
There are still no standards regulating the presence of pesticides,
known toxins , in soft drinks.
Q. Why the 'apples have more pesticides'
chant of the cola companies is dead wrong. Why must the standard
for pesticide residue take into account the nutritive value
of the final product?
You can't take the pesticides out of apples. But
you can clean up colas.
Soft drinks contain a cocktail of pesticides above stipulated
standards, and are thus considered they are unsafe. The companies
say there are no stipulated standards. The reason is simple:
they don’t allow standards to be formulated.
International standards for
pesticide residue all over the world (including in the US
and EU) recognise the trade-off between pesticides and nutrition.
Fruits and
vegetables have nutrition. They give us something in this
poison-nutrition trade-off. We get nothing with colas. Just
pesticides.
Download the briefing paper
for an in-depth report on the importance
of nutrition in setting pesticide standards.
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Q. Why do we care about
pesticides?
CSE’s pesticides campaign revolves around the issue of
safety from toxins. Pesticides are tiny toxins. Even
small doses have significant health effects and are
neurological problems and
Villages have been
. Faced with evidence of poisoning
from their products, industry is known to
. At
all costs, they want to
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Q. What are
the health implications of the results?
Q. What are the excuses companies give?
Q. About the laboratory that found these
results.
Our laboratory is accredited
with ISO 9001:2000 quality management system. Secondly,
the laboratory has confirmed the presence of the
pesticides using state of art equipment — a GC-MS. For questions on the standards,
accreditation and methodology of the lab,
Q.
What has been happening since the last study
on pesticide content in soft drinks was released.
Q.
Q.
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STORIES
THAT SHOOK INDIA |
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 CSE
finds unsafe levels of pesticides in soft drinks.
[Aug 15, 2003]
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[Dec 31, 2003]
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 Pesticides
found in bottled water
[Feb
15, 2003]
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QUICK LINKS |
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 HOME
PAGE |
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PRESS RELEASES |
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Ganguly committee report recommends standards
Expert committee, chaired by N K Ganguly, director general of ICMR has made public its report today, recommending standards, vindicating CSE's study and putting the controversy to rest.
[March 15, 2007]
 Press release
Ganguly committee report executive summary |
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Nothing has changed, says CSE, despite the
Kerala High Court decision. Soft drinks as unsafe as before
[September 22, 2006]
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CSE rejects offer to meet Coca-Cola.Says process has been compromised.
[September 06, 2006]
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Stop threatening us, take
us to court: CSE challenges pesticide industry
[August 25, 2006]
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Junk
science of the ministry
[August 23, 2006]
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Government bats for cola
companies
[August 22, 2006]
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If
we can drink them, we can test them
[August 14, 2006]
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CSE demolishes
cola company claims
[August 11, 2006]
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[August 7, 2006]
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CSE releases nationwide
study on pesticide in soft-drinks.
[August 2, 2006]
[English] |
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LAB
REPORTS
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[August 15 2006]
Three years since the study on pesticides in soft drinks. CSE presents
the inside story.
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 Briefing paper [Poison
Vs Nutrition
[PDF] |
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The science, sociology and politics of Acceptable Daily Intake
MAILING ADDRESS