Scientists presenting at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American
Chemical Society have reportedly identified elevated levels of arsenic in some
beers sold in Germany. According to Mehmet Coelhan, who conducted the
study of 140 beers as part of a monitoring program, “the discovery could be
of importance for breweries and other food processors elsewhere that use the
same filtering technology implicated in the elevated arsenic levels in some
German beers.”

The team concluded that arsenic was released into the beer from a filtering material called “kieselguhr, or diatomaceous earth, that’s used to remove yeast, hops and other particles and give the beer a crystal clear appearance.” According to Coelhan, “The resulting arsenic levels were only slightly elevated, and it is not likely that people would get sick from drinking beers made with this filtration method because of the arsenic. The arsenic is still at low levels—the risk of alcohol poisoning is a far more realistic concern, as stated in previous studies on the topic.” See American Chemical Society News Release, April 7, 2013.

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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