(NaturalNews) A new study investigating the ability of water treatment facilities to remove artificial sweeteners from municipal water supplies has found that significant amounts remain despite the implementation of high-tech industrial water purification.
Researchers from the Water Technology Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany examined levels of seven common sweeteners – acesulfame, saccharin, aspartame, cyclamate (currently banned in the US and Canada), sucralose, neotame and NHDC – using a new method that enables detection of the substances simultaneously. Analysis of the water samples revealed that up to 80% and 59% of sucralose and acesulfame remained respectively, despite treatment and advanced filtration. Acesulfame was found to be the most treatment resistant sweetener, with several hundred nanograms of saccharin and cyclamate also remaining.
“The persistence of some artificial sweeteners during soil aquifer treatment was demonstrated and confirmed their environmental relevance”, wrote the scientific team in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, before expressing concern that “the occurrence of such sweeteners in the aquatic environment may become an issue for consumers.” [1]
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