Does It Cause Cancer? Soft Drinks
Dubiousity: doubtful
The major carcinogenic suspect of most soft drinks is benzene, which is a byproduct of the salts of benzoic acid (sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, or calcium benzoate) combining with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
While citric acid does not contribute significantly to the production of benzene, evidences suggests that the presence of citric acid accelerates the process. Heating, such as exposure to sunlight, also creates benzene. Diet and sugar-free soft drinks are considered more at risk because sugar has been found to inhibit the formation of benzene.
Although your root beer may look ready to burn your stomach, most do not cause significant health problems. With the exception of some cases, majority of soda in the market is safe to consume. An average adult who drinks 6L of soft drink per day will consume 60μg of benzene, which does not pose a significant carcinogenic risk.
Benzene can also be found by burning coal and oil, smoking cigarettes, driving (car exhaust), and evaporation in gas stations. Once in the air, benzene will react with other chemicals and break down in a few days.
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