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I have long believed that high-fructose corn syrup is adding to the obesity problem in the U.S. (mainly because it's in everything). But it may also be contributing to something even worse - mercury poisoning.

A newly published study in the Journal of Environmental Health claims that researchers found detectable levels of mercury in 9 out of 20 samples of high-fructose corn syrup. They then went on to test foods that list high-fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient (of which there are many). Incredibly, they found that one out of three of those foods also had detectable levels of mercury.



High-fructose corn syrup has replaced sugar as a sweetener in most of the processed food in the U.S. It is so prevalent these days that the average person consumes 12 teaspoons of high-fructose corn syrup a day - children and teens consume even more than that.

Corn syrup is processed in about 16 different plants across the country's corn belt that use caustic soda and hydrochloric acid (mixed in vats of electrified mercury) to refine the corn. According to industry documents listed in the study, some of the toxic metal ends up in the final product... that candy bar, soda, juice, jam, barbecue sauce, loaf of bread, yogurt or pudding you buy at the grocery store.

"This seems like an avoidable source of mercury that we didn't know was out there," said David Wallinga, one of the study's co-authors and a researcher at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a Minnesota-based advocacy group. Wallinga said consumers should know about other potential sources so they can limit how much they eat. "The best mercury exposure is no exposure at all," he said.

"Even at low levels methylmercury can harm the developing brain. The last thing we should intentionally do is add to it," Wallinga added.

The Corn-Refiners Association is denying the claims, saying the study is outdated and that some plants have begun to use mercury-free hydrochloric acid and caustic soda for processing.

But The Chlorine Institute says, "It is conceivable that measurable mercury content can be found in high-fructose corn syrup regardless of how it is processed."

Of course, this is just one study. But knowing what we do about mercury, that it's linked to learning disabilities and heart disease among other things, do we really want to take that chance?

What do you think?

(High-fructose corn syrup is found in processed foods of all types. If you wish to avoid it, be sure to read labels carefully. Eating a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods is your best bet.)

Photo: ADM's high-fructose corn syrup factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa