New Delhi: The union health ministry has told the Supreme Court that further investigation was needed to assess the effects of consuming carbonated water contained in Coca-Cola and Pepsi on people's health.
In its affidavit filed in response to a court notice in a batch of petitions seeking a ban on the cola soft drinks, the ministry quoting an expert committee's report said: "Carbon dioxide emitted from soft drinks is a waste product that humans excrete and can be harmful when ingested at high levels.
"Large amounts of sugar bubbles caused by carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid found in soft drinks remove nutritious minerals from bones, allowing them to become weak and increasing the risk of bones breaking. This is done by the disruption in the calcium-phosphorous ratio that dissolves calcium from the bones."
It added: "The studies to establish the co-relation between consumption of carbonated water and its effects on health are extremely difficult as it involves several confounding factors. Thus, there is a need to carry out well controlled studies to assess effects of consumption of carbonated water on health."
Consumer safety
In its report, the committee recommended the guidance value/maximum residue limit for an individual pesticide for carbonated water. "The value is based on consumer safety, analytical measurability and achievability with good manufacturing practices.
"An independent cell for risk analysis needs to be set up to provide promptly an objective risk assessment and risk evaluation on a wide array of food safety issues and also for effective risk communication in a transparent manner," it said.
