Consumer Reports Confirms Arsenic in Some Apple Juice Brands

You might recall back in September when Dr. Oz blew the whistle on trace levels of arsenic in apple juice after his TV show did a study. After the apple juice study was originally released, the FDA said that apple juice was safe and that the small study didn't take into account that there are organic and inorganic forms of arsenic. Well, a new more comprehensive study by Consumer Reports is shedding more light on the issue, and the news isn't good for apple-juice drinkers. 

After testing 88 samples of apple juice and grape juice, Consumer Reports found that 10 percent of the samples had total arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking-water standards of 10 parts per billion (ppb) and 25 percent of the samples had lead levels higher than the FDA's bottled-water limit of 5 ppb. Also, most of the arsenic detected in Consumer Reports' tests was inorganic, which is a human carcinogen. Mounting scientific evidence suggests that chronic exposure to arsenic and lead even at levels below water standards can result in serious health problems, according to the magazine.

Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications.