Arsenic in German beer Cause clarified

Cause of arsenic clarified in German beer

09/04/2013

Hops, malt, yeast and water are, according to the German Purity Law, the ingredients that may be included in beer. There is no question of arsenic. Nevertheless, it has been known for years that German beer contains traces of the toxin. Now the cause was discovered by Munich researchers.

Munich researchers discover cause of toxin
Although the amount of arsenic found in beer does not seem harmless to the human organism, its concentration is often higher than in drinking water. The cause of the presence of the heavy metal in beer was the diatomaceous earth filter material. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich have found this out in years of research and presented their findings on Sunday at a chemist conference in New Orleans. However, the brewing expert and researcher Mehmet Coelhan said that beer drinkers did not have to worry about it anyway. A „much more real concern“ be the risk of alcohol poisoning. Scientists have discovered that the solution is to be found in diatomaceous earth filters. These are used in beer brewing to filter out suspended solids and make beer crystal clear. However, not all varieties, naturally cloudy beers are not filtered, for example.

140 beers tested
In the past few years samples of 140 beers sold in Germany were tested for traces of lead and arsenic. In addition, undesirable pollutants, such as pesticides, which may have come from grain used for brewing have been sought. The German researchers found arsenic levels significantly above the WHO guideline of ten micrograms per liter. While there is no such value for beer, WHO has set one for drinking water.

Also foreign beers affected
The investigations analyzed all materials used in brewing. „The tests showed that some kieselguhr samples give off arsenic, "says Coelhan, a researcher, who believes that kieselguhr is a rock formed from shells of prehistoric algae, but the scientist went on to say there is little chance of it consuming beer Winzer and other food manufacturers also use kieselguhr powder as a natural filter, and other studies have found arsenic in foreign beers, sometimes in higher concentrations than in German.

Arsenic content monitored for years
After arsenic was detected in beer years ago, the German and the Bavarian Brewing Federation launched a program to monitor the arsenic content. The brewed beer as well as the raw materials and kieselguhr were regularly examined. Coelham said: „As a result, suppliers of diatomaceous earth come under pressure "and „The breweries are sensitized - and they are also willing to spend money here. "Since the beginning of the investigations about three years ago, the arsenic content of the beers has dropped.

Less pollutants
Not only controls, but also very simple methods can contribute to a reduction of pollutants, so, for example, arsenic can be removed by rinsing the filter material with water. And substitutes could also be used. The managing director of the Bavarian brewery association, Walter König, has already registered improvements. So he explained: „In monitoring we also control other heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, which, like arsenic, can get into the beer through the raw materials ", and stated: „The analyzes showed, in contrast to earlier in the past months, no benchmark. "

Arsenic - poison and remedy
Already centuries ago arsenic was known and was early used as a poison for murders, as a pesticide or as a medicine. At certain times, it was probably used as a antipyretic, as a remedy for lung disease, to increase performance and even as an aphrodisiac. In medicine, arsenic is still used, especially in cancer therapy. On the other hand, arsenic can also be deadly, even at a dose in the tens of milligrams. Arsenic poisoning can cause seizures, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, or even shock and kidney failure. (Ad)

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Image: Jakob Ehrhardt