Several states has banned pepsi and coke after the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) finding on pesticide contamination on soft drinks.
Highlights of the 2006 CSE study on pesticides in colas
- A cocktail of 3-6 pesticides was present in all samples.
- Lindane (a confirmed carcinogen) levels were over 54 times above the BIS standard; in one Coca-Cola sample from Kolkata, it was 140 times higher.
- Chlorpyrifos (a known neurotoxin) levels were 47 times higher; a Coca-Cola sample from Mumbai had a 200 times higher level.
- Heptachlor, banned in India, was found in 71 per cent of the samples, at levels 4 times higher than BIS standards.
- Average amount of pesticide residues found in all the samples was 11.85 parts per billion (ppb) — 24 times higher than the BIS standards for total pesticides in soft drinks (0.5 ppb).
- Pepsi cola contained 30 times higher residues on an average.
- Coca-Cola contained 27 times higher residues on an average.
