The Hindu : Blue Pepsi contains highest content of residues: report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 29, 2003

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Blue Pepsi contains highest content of residues: report

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 28. The Centre today released the full report of the tests conducted on 12 brands of soft drinks and as per the report, Blue Pepsi was found to have the highest content of pesticide residues.

According to the report, the level of pesticide residues in Blue Pepsi was 5.2 times higher than the maximum permissible under the European Union norms. It was followed by Mirinda lemon (4.2 times higher than the E.U. standards), Coca Cola (4 times), Mirinda orange (3.4 times), and Sprite (3.2 times). In Thums Up and Mountain Dew the level was two times higher than the E.U. norms, in Fanta 1.7 times and in 7Up 1.6 times. In Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Limca, pesticide contents were found, but below the E.U. norm.

Giving a break-up of the various types of pesticide residues found during the tests conducted at the CSIR's Central Food Technolology Research Institute, the report had also pointed out that two pesticides — lindane and chlorpyriphos were ubiquitous, being present in all the samples without any exception. DDT and its metabolites, in turn, were found in 58 per cent of the samples and their concentrations were found to be 1.8 to 12.4 times higher than the E.U. limit.

The report has further highlighted that as the samples tested by the CFTRI and by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) were from entirely different batches, the results could not be compared.

The CSE in its report had stated that pesticide content was maximum in Mirinda lemon (70 times higher than the E.U. norms), followed by Coca Cola (45 times), Fanta (45 times), Mirinda orange (39 times), Pepsi (37 times), 7Up (33 times), Limca (30 times), Blue Pepsi (29 times), Mountain Dew (28 times), Thums Up (22 times), Diet Pepsi (14 times) and Sprite (11 times).

The CSE director, Sunita Narain, said her organisation was satisfied that the scientists at the CFTRI had pointed out that their results could not be compared with that that of the CSE as the samples were from different batches. But, at the same time, it was disappointed with the Union Health Minister, Sushma Swaraj, for not referring to this in her statement to Parliament. "Ms. Swaraj had pointedly mentioned that our results showed much higher residues than found by the CFTRI. But, failed to mention the scientists' observation that the two results were not comparable. This gave the impression that we were wrong, when we and the CFTRI could be both right. We certainly stand by our findings.''

She also expressed disappointment that the Government was releasing information in dribbles.

"Even after a week, it has released the report of only one laboratory out of the two which had been asked by it to conduct the tests, whereas we had posted the results of our analysis on our website the same day we released it to the press."

She further faulted Ms. Swaraj for not mentioning in her statement about the presence of lindane and chlorpyriphos in all the samples, similar to what was found by the CSE, and expressed regret that the CFTRI's report did not mention how the samples were collected, whether from the market or the bottling plants and by whom and on which date.

It was very important that the samples were collected randomly from the market and by scientists.

She also faulted the CFTRI scientists for not investigating for malaxon, which is produced through disintegration of malathion. "Malathion has a very short life and breaks very quickly into malaxon, which is also highly toxic.''

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