The Food and Drug Administration said laboratory results show soft drinks don't carry enough chemical benzene to be unsafe.
The look into benzene in soft drinks was prompted by the non-profit Environmental Working Group, which warned the chemical could form in fruit drinks and soda that contains ascorbic acid or benzoate preservatives.
High temperatures and light can prompt benzoate salts and vitamin C to form benzene, the FDA said, after reviewing a private test of some soft drinks and conducting on of their own.
The Wall Street Journal reports the FDA released a letter March 21 that said benzene levels in the tests they conducted were below the amount allowed for safe drinking water and "do not suggest a safety concern."
It will continue to test the drinks and would then release the results.
Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, wants the test results released right away.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
