FDA Proposes Regulation of Arsenic Levels in Apple Juice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed Friday to limit the overall levels of inorganic arsenic in apple juice to the same level as drinking water. Arsenic, a potentially cancer-causing chemical, is abundant in the environment; its presence is regulated in other consumables.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations state that arsenic levels in drinking water cannot exceed 10 parts per billion (ppb), and, after decades of consideration, the FDA is ready to set the same standard for apple juice.

"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 FDA's deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.

Over the past two decades, the FDA has monitored the presence of arsenic in apple juice and reports consistently low levels of the chemical, with "few exceptions," the agency said in a statement. Based on data collected last year, those exceptions amounted to about 5 percent of 94 apple juice samples tested. Ninety-five percent of the apple juice sampled tested by the FDA last year had total arsenic levels below 10 ppb, and 100 percent of the samples were below 10 ppb for inorganic arsenic, which is the carcinogenic form of the chemical.

Inorganic arsenic, often found in pesticides, has been associated with skin lesions, developmental defects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and diabetes. In its organic form, which is typical of arsenic found in soil and groundwater, the chemical is essentially harmless.

Regardless of the new regulation, the FDA claims it is confident in the safety of apple juice in the American food supply.

"We have been studying this issue comprehensively, and based on the agency's data and analytical work, the FDA is confident in the overall safety of apple juice for children and adults," said FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg.