The Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation promises that levels of benzene in soft drinks will be lowered. The industry group notes that current levels of the carcinogen here are about the same as elsewhere in Europe.
A report in the Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet on Tuesday said that levels of the chemical in Finnish sodas rose to potentially toxic levels if the beverages were stored at high temperatures.
The National Food Agency found up to 30 micrograms of benzene per litre in some sodas. The chemical formed once the drinks were heated to more than 50 degrees and kept that way for 24 hours.
The EU has not set any limits on the amount of benzene in soda, but in drinking water, the limit is just one microgram per litre.
Food safety experts downplay the risk, pointing out that benzene was formed under highly unusual conditions, and would not form if the drinks were handled normally.
