NEW DELHI: In findings, hotly contested by global giants Coke and Pepsi, the Centre for Science and Environment picked up three bottles each of 12 soft drink brands from Delhi and found they contained a ''deadly pesticide cocktail'' which exceeded European norms by around 11 to 70 times. But these do not breach Indian laws which, said the CSE on Tuesday, are weak or non-existent.



Rivals Coke and Pepsi, accused of ''double standards'', came together on Tuesday evening to challenge CSE's testing methods. They sought an independent scientific inquiry into the matter, while claiming that their products were safe and world-class. Our products are tested locally, in accredited labs, and internationally, said Coke and Pepsi chiefs Sanjeev Gupta and Rajeev Bakshi respectively. Both companies claim that they operate within European and American norms with ''top-grade testing, top-grade products''. Coke and Pepsi claim they conduct testing at every stage regularly. Even the government's Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) conducts tests, they claim. ''We have a strong set of regulations internally and externally,'' said Gupta.



CSE chief Sunita Narain said sample bottles picked up from the US showed no trace of pesticides. Both the US and Europe have set standards and rules under which citizens can drag companies to court. However, CSE found high individual pesticide residues in the Delhi samples: An average of 15 times higher for DDT and metabolites; 21 times higher for lindane; 42 times higher for chlorphyrifos; 87 times higher for malathion.



The mix, claims CSE, saw Mirinda Lemon breaching the European norm by 70 times, Coke by 45 times, Pepsi by 37 times and Thums Up by 22 times. On the list, all allegedly breaching the norms, were Fanta, Mirinda Orange, Seven Up, Limca, Blue Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi and Sprite. Prolonged intake of pesticides can lead to cancer, attack the nervous system, decrease the sperm count and cause birth defects.



Narain, aghast that ''global giants'' are not setting an example, came down heavily on the government's regulatory norms. ''This is worse than the bottled water case. At least mandatory certification is needed for this but there is nothing for this food industry. Here, there are no norms at all for an industry which is established, it is not a question of small players.''



Rules on arsenic levels in soft drinks, charged Narain, allow 0.5 ppm (parts per million), the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) says it should be 0.25 ppm while the limit for bottled water is 0.05 ppm. ''You are legally allowed 50 times more arsenic in soft drinks than in bottled water,'' Narain said. The same, she alleged, goes for lead, copper and cadmium. The government's food products order, she charged, regulates general characteristics such as sugar and liquid glucose but not water, the basic component. It specifies potable water but does not define this. PFA regulates pesticides in food but food does not include beverages. One section defines quality standards for non-alcoholic beverages but has nothing to say about pesticide residues. The BIS standards for carbonated beverages are voluntary but there are no standards for water.



''We are going to amend that rule and apply stricter rules for bottled water to the raw water used for soft drinks,'' said BIS' Deputy Director-General (technical) K K Goel. ''We will examine the CSE report and if a need is felt for evolving guidelines for pesticides in soft drinks, the recommendations will be sent to our technical committee for effecting the required changes,'' Goel added. Since the bottled water controversy, Coke and Pepsi say they check for 45 pesticides, including the four CSE tested. PFA officials, said Gupta, lift samples ''pretty regularly'' - once in a fortnight.



Pepsi's Executive Director (operations) Pradeep Sardana said they conducted their own tests in accredited labs in Hyderabad and Holland once every quarter. Groundwater dependence is large but water is drawn from ''deep strata'', where pesticides do not travel in a couple of a years. In addition, all water is treated.



On Tuesday, Narain also came out with another disturbing finding: There is no legally-enforceable ''right'' to ''clean'' water, merely guidelines which leave nobody accountable. With water the basic raw material for the Rs 7,000-crore soft drink industry, Narain demanded that groundwater use for commercial purposes be regulated, drinking water norms be fixed and norms for food standards reviewed - from the public health imperative viewpoint, not industry's convenience, she said.