Acrylamide: the fries have it. (On The Web www.cspinet.org).

Last April, Swedish scientists shocked the world when they announced that they had discovered worrisome levels of acrylamide in foods like french fries, potato chips, and bread.

Acrylamide is universally recognized as a cause of various kinds of cancer in laboratory animals. Though it has not been shown to cause cancer in humans, most cancer experts presume that it does. It has long been regulated as a workplace pollutant and possible water pollutant.

Acrylamide is different from the pesticides, food additives, and other chemicals that we add, intentionally or not, to food. It results from chemical reactions that occur when carbohydrate-rich foods are fried or baked.

In the two months following the Swedish discovery, the British, Norwegian, and Swiss governments all confirmed the presence of acrylamide in foods tested in their countries. In contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded slowly, blandly advising consumers to "eat a healthy balanced diet."

We can assume that U.S. food companies have been feverishly testing their products for acrylamide. But, as of this writing, no results have been disclosed. That's why the Center for Science in the Public Interest (publisher of Nutrition Action Healthletter) commissioned the Swedish government to test a small sampling of U.S. foods (see chart).

How dangerous is acrylamide? Clark University risk expert Dale Hattis estimates that it causes several thousand deaths in the U.S. each year. While that represents only a small percentage of the cancers that are caused by what we eat, it poses a "serious problem," according to the World Health Organization. Health officials need to figure out how acrylamide forms, then devise ways to stop it from forming.

That could take years. In the meantime, the government should urge people to consume less french fries--which contribute more acrylamide to the average person's diet than any other food. And if you're looking for a reason to cut back on other nutritional weaklings like Pringles, now you've got one. (Don't stop eating more healthful foods like breads and cereals.)

Of course, many health experts have been urging people to cut back on lousy foods like fries all along. But the unwelcome contaminant provides yet another reason--beyond the saturated and trans fat and salt--for that advice to be restated loudly and clearly.

Michael F. Jacobson M.D.
Executive Director
Center for Science in the Public Interest

Food                                            Acrylamide
                                               (micrograms
                                               per serving)

Old El Paso Taco Shells (3 shells--1.1 oz.)          1
Ore Ida French Fries, uncooked (3 oz.)               5
Tostitos Tortilla Chips (1 oz.)                      5
Honey Nut Cheerios (1 oz.)                           6
Cheerios (1 oz.)                                     7
Lay's potato chips (1 oz.)                           8
Fritos Corn Chips (1 oz.)                           11
Pringles (1 oz.)                                    25
Baked Lay's (1 oz.)                                 26
Ore Ida French Fries, baked (3 oz.)                 28
Wendy's French Fries, biggie (5.6 oz.)              39
KFC Potato Wedges (6.2 oz.)                         52
Burger King French Fries, large (5.7 oz.)           59
McDonald's French Fries, large (6.2 oz.)            82

Note: The Environmental Protection Agency
allows no more than 0.12 micrograms of acrylamide
in an 8-oz. glass of water.