Carcinogens found in wines, spirits

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 24

Carcinogens found in wines, spirits

NZPA-Reuter Washington Urethane, a cancercausing chemical, has contaminated many brands of wine and liquor sold in the United States, public health groups have charged. The Centre for Science in the Public Interest and the National Council on Alcoholism said the Food and Drug Administration and the liquor industry have known about the contamination with urethane for almost a year, but did not warn consumers.

They said Government scientists had found many products that contain urethane at levels up to 5000 times higher than what the F.D.A. says is safe.

The highest concentrations are found in brandies and sherries and they have been detected in such popular products as Early Times bourbon, Old Taylor Kentucky-Straight

Bourbon, Gallo Cream Sherry, Paul Masson Rare Premium California Burgundy and Christian Brothers California Golden Sherry. High levels have also been found in brandies imported from Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The liquor industry said it is co-operating with Government agencies and has moved to eliminate the urethane, or ethyl carbamate, from its products. The Distilled Spirits Council, the industry’s trade group, said it had sent a preliminary study by a University of Louisville professor, William Waddell, which showed in tests done on mice that alcohol may block the harmful effects of urethane. Both the industry and the consumer groups said tests have shown that

urethane can cause cancer, but the industry maintains that it posed no real health risk in the low levels detected so far.

F.A. Meister, president of the distillers group, said that it is working to lower or eliminate the amount found in liquor and wines — it has not been found in beer — although scientists are uncertain how or why it occurs.

After laboratory tests showed that urethane can cause cancer, Canada last December set limits on urethane levels and has removed contaminated products off the shelves.

“The F.D.A. should prohibit the sale of all beverages that contain any more urethane than what is absolutely unavoidable, since even small amounts pose a serious health risk,” said Michael Jacobson, executive director of C.S.P.I.