<p>[Studies</a> find mercury in much U.S. corn syrup | Science & Health | Reuters](<a href=“http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE50Q5IA20090127]Studies”>http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE50Q5IA20090127)</p>
<p>This is really scary, considering how much corn syrup we ingest every day!</p>
<p>So what is the detection limit of the instrument(s)?</p>
<p>There really is nothing to be scared of. ‘Detectable levels’ really means nothing. </p>
<p>[Researchers</a> find traces of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup](<a href=“http://www.physorg.com/news152264729.html]Researchers”>Researchers find traces of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup) </p>
<p>According to that article, the highest amount found was .57 micrograms per gram. Safe dosage is 5.5 micrograms per gram. So you’d have to ingest about 10 grams worth of HFCS in order to exceed the safe dosage. If you are on an American diet (i.e. you drink a lot of soda and eat a lot of crappy food) it might be something to worry about…But if you watch what you eat, there is nothing to fear.</p>
<p>gravitysrainbow, you are not reading carefully. From that very article:</p>
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<p>Maybe this is what is causing the rise in autism.</p>
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<p>So how we do know it’s corn syrup? How do we know its not just from the manufacturing process of food more generally?</p>
<p>Amom2, I don’t know whether you were kidding, but that’s an interesting thought. Two is about when we start feeding our kids all kinds of junk food.</p>
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<p>There is a difference between “elemental mercury,” which is just mercury itself, and “methylmercury,” which is an organic form of mercury. Methylmercury is definitely toxic. There’s apparently no research on whether or not elemental mercury is.</p>
<p>I had the same thought as AMom2 re increases in autism (although we of course we do not yet understand what triggers it in some but not in others). My own “theory” is that epigenetics plays a big role too and this “finding” would certainly support this idea (eg, in this case, it would be argued that not only might the corn syrup in foods eaten by small children effect them, but also the corn syrup consumed by the parent might actually change the DNA that is then passed on to their offspring and although the amount may not be toxic enough to effect the parent it mgiht easily effect an embryo. Of course we still do not understand how/when autism is triggered and why in some offspring and not in others - although we are certainly seeing more and instances of siblings being effected by autism spectrum disorders).</p>
<p>I have also heard anecdotal accounts (not related to autism) that removing corn syrup from your diet is one of the best things you can do to improve numerous ailments and overall health.</p>
<p>I wasn’t kidding about autism. I do know that there was a study done by UT San Antonio that showed students in zip codes that had a coal fired power plant had higher rates of ld. Coal fired plants emit mercury.</p>
<p>shades_children, absolutely true. Organomercury compounds are very toxic. Elemental mercury released into the environment gets converted into methylmercury by microorganisms and the resulting compound accumulates in the food chain, especially in predator types of fish. The so-called Minamata disease was caused by organomercury compounds. Several years ago, a chemistry researcher doing experiments with organomercury compounds spilled a tiny drop of dimethylmercury onto her glove, which meant her death sentence.</p>
<p>[Karen</a> Wetterhahn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Wetterhahn]Karen”>Karen Wetterhahn - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>scansmom, corn syrup (and some non-sugar sweeteners) creates the breeding ground for nasty GI tract bacteria, according to my doctor.</p>