Apple Juice for Kids: A Caution for Parents
We often take issue with careless, shallow and/or misleading media reports about health and safety issues. But in one high-profile case, the flashy TV doc got it right.
Consumer Reports investigated the claim of Dr. Mehmet Oz ("The Dr. Oz Show"), and found that, indeed, 1 in 10 of the juices tested contained more arsenic than is allowed in drinking water. One problem, investigators said, is that juice and similar beverages have no standards for arsenic content. Inorganic arsenic (that is, arsenic that does not occur naturally in some fruits) is carcinogenic. Lead content also was problematically high in many juices.
The EPA limits arsenic in drinking water to 10 parts per billion (ppb), and some health experts say that’s too high. According to AboutLawsuits.com, The FDA told Consumer Reports that it’s considering arsenic standards for juice. In September, the website reported, the FDA “believed apple juice consumption posed little or no risk, but since then it has received eight apple juice test samples with total arsenic levels of up to 45 ppb.”
Because arsenic and lead disproportionately damage smaller, growing brains, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises:
- Don’t give infants younger than six months any kind of juice.
- Limit juice for children 6 years and younger to six ounces a day.
- Limit juice for children older than 6 years to 12 ounces a day.
