FDA Proposes Action Level For Arsenic in Apple Juice

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed an action level" of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juicethe same level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for arsenic in drinking water. The agency pointed out that while it issued the action plan, its testing and analysis confirm overall safety of apple juice.

FDA has been monitoring the presence of arsenic in apple juice for the past 20 years and has consistently found that samples contain levels of arsenic that are low, with few exceptions. However, new tools have allowed the agency to better understand the breakdown between organic and inorganic arsenic levels. Last year, FDA released findings from its latest data collection and analysis of 94 samples of arsenic in apple juice. The analysis showed 95% of the apple juice samples tested were below 10 ppb total arsenic; 100% of the samples were below 10 ppb for inorganic arsenic, the carcinogenic form of arsenic.

The proposed level of 10 ppb takes into account this sampling data plus a recently completed, peer-reviewed risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in apple juice conducted by FDA scientists. The assessment is based on lifetime exposure. Inorganic arsenic may be found in foods because it is present in the environment, both as a naturally occurring mineral and because of activity such as past use of arsenic-containing pesticides.

While the levels of arsenic in apple juice are very low, the FDA is proposing an action level to help prevent public exposure to the occasional lots of apple juice with arsenic levels above those permitted in drinking water," said Michael R. Taylor, the FDAs deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.

In conducting its new assessment on apple juice, the FDA was able to use data from two studies published in 2010, as well as a 2011 evaluation by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants of the Food and Agriculture Organization, part of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. FDA is accepting public comments on the proposed action level and the risk assessment for 60 days.

Arsenic & Apples Controversy

FDAs proposal of action levels for inorganic arsenic in apple juice comes after a few years of controversy stirred up by media regarding dangerous" levels of the chemical. In September 2011, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr. Oz Show," told viewers that tests hed commissioned found 10 of three dozen apple-juice samples with total arsenic levels exceeding 10 parts per billion (ppb).

FDA promptly issued a press release reassuring consumers about the safety of apple juice, and claiming most arsenic in juices and other foods is of the organic type that is essentially harmless." While the maximum level of arsenic allowed in bottled water is 10 micrograms in one liter of bottled water or 10 parts per billion (ppb), there is no federal arsenic threshold established for fruit juices, however, FDA is collecting all relevant information to evaluate and determine if setting guidance or other level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice is appropriate.

Just two months later in November 2011, a Consumer Reports investigation caused widespread consumer angst when it showed it tested 88 samples of apple and grape juice from five well-known brands, including Motts, Minute Maid and Welchs, and found that 10% of the samples surpassed government drinking-water standards of 10 parts per billion (ppb), and 25% of the samples had lead levels higher than the bottled-water limit of 5 ppb. Most of the arsenic detected in the tests was inorganic, a known carcinogen, rather than the organic form, which is considered nontoxic.