As I was growing up, I noticed that my favorite soft drinks all contained the same ingredient. It was a chemical preservative called sodium benzoate. Take a look at the ingredients the next time you're drinking something out of a can... it's there sometimes. Though I'm sure it was just a coincidence, I was selectively drinking sodium benzoate because of the delicious carcinogenic taste.
After taking organic chemistry, it occurred to me that sodium benzoate is not that far away from benzene, which is poisonous. Armed with this new knowledge... I continued to drink my favorite soft drinks because of the delicious carcinogenic taste. A recent lawsuit has been filed and won against soft drink companies, because it has been found that in combination with ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate can be converted into benzene with the addition of heat and light. Since I love ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium benzoate (delicious carcinogenic taste) so much, I can tell you right off the bat that these two ingredients are present in Nestea and Sprite cans. These are very popular choices for picnic and BBQ drinks.
What does this mean? To me, it doesn't mean all that much. I have been cutting down on soft drink consumption recently. This is not because I fear the delicious carcinogenic taste, but rather because I fear the delicious diabetic taste. For the last few months I've been drinking more water, tea, and juices. But I'll be honest with you: There are moments when I still miss the sodium benzoate.
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