Heavy metals found in popular fruit juices: Report

According to Consumer Reports, a concerning level of heavy metals have been found in some fruit juices, including potentially harmful levels of inorganic arsenic, cadmium and lead.

Consumer Reports tested 45 popular fruit juices—including apple, grape, pear, and fruit blends—and found elevated levels of those heavy metals in almost half (47%) of them, including juices marketed for children. The samples were from 24 different national, store, and private label brands. Click here to see the breakdown of how each brand fared.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of heavy metals, according to the report. “Exposure to these metals early on can affect their whole life trajectory,” said Jennifer Lowry, director of clinical pharmacology, toxicology, and therapeutic innovations at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, in a press release.

Heavy metals can harm adults, too. Ten of the juices pose a risk to adults: five at half a cup or more per day, and five more at one cup or more a day. "Every product had measurable levels of at least one of these heavy metals: cadmium, inorganic arsenic, lead or mercury,” said James Dickerson, chief scientific officer for Consumer Reports.

A version of this article appeared at StoreBrands.com.