Consumer Reports Analysis Finds Heavy Metals In Many Bottled Juices

BOSTON (CBS) - Pediatricians recommend parents limit the amount of juice their kids drink because it's high in sugar, but there's another reason to think twice about offering it to kids. Consumer Reports is warning that many packaged juices contain heavy metals and could be putting their health at risk.

Researchers tested 45 popular fruit juices, including apple, grape and fruit blends, many marketed for children, and found measurable amounts of heavy metals in every single product, including lead, arsenic, and cadmium.

In some cases, they say drinking just a half a cup of juice a day is enough to raise concern. And organic juices were no better.

Heavy metals naturally occur in the air, in water and in soil and can end up in food during the manufacturing and packaging process. Long-term exposure to heavy metals increases the risk for kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer and can impair learning.

Consumer Reports says instead of juice have your kids eat whole fruit, like apples and oranges, and drink water.