Top ten reasons not to drink Coke

by Carly Keidel

10. If you rub a car bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola, you can remove rust spots.

9. If you need to clean corrosion from car battery terminals, pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals.

8. If you empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle, the Coca-Cola will help remove grease stains.

7. Coca-Cola will clean road haze from your windshield.

6. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.  Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

5. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must post a "Hazardous Material" place card reserved for highly corrosive materials.

4. You can clean a toilet by pouring a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl, letting it sit for one hour, and flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.

3. If you put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke, it will be gone in two days.

2. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years.

1. In many states in the US, the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

Disclaimer: These so-called facts were brought to my attention by a circulating group email, and though I have no proof whether they are true, I am sharing the list in order to see how many of you can identify with them.  I look forward to your reactions!

Comments

And if you put a steak in a bowl of papaya puree, what happens then?

Good to know. Now how did Coke manage not to get themselves on CSI or Law and Order?

[Aaron]

These are actually urban legends and most of them are just plain not true. There's an episode of MythBusters about it.

Coke isn't good for you, but mostly because it's too much sugar. It's less acidic than a lot of other foods and way less acidic than the contents of your stomach.

[John B]

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp

[John B]

Forgot this disclaimer: I don't drink coke.

According to Wikipedia:

While highway troopers do not use Coca-Cola for this purpose, the television program MythBusters showed that Coca-Cola could be used as a blood cleaning agent, if an expensive one. Claims of Coca-Cola's unique tooth dissolving properties have been tested, on U.K television show Brainiac: Science Abuse, where a tooth was left in a glass of Coke, for the duration of a night. It proved Cola cannot dissolve a tooth, though it was stained black.

[Marlene]

Actually, I remember doing the "tooth in a glass of coke" experiment in elementary school and it did work - but it took longer than just one night.

[Minuk]

Umm. By similar logic, we shouldn't drink OJ because it has a pH of 2.8 and contains sugar.

We don't need these "facts" to scare us into the realities of consuming too much sugary substances. Encouraging common sense and moderation will go a long way. These are things a mother would say to scare of their children.

[Mike]

You don't need coke on the aluminum foil to remove rust spots. It works by itself. The battery terminals thing is true, but a paste made from baking soda and water works better. Yes, phosphorus leeches calcium in bones, good thing there are no bones in your stomach! 80% of these 'facts' are totally bogus or plain irrelevent. Who has an hour to wait for Coke to clean a toilet? Rubbish!

[Kit]

Coke does remove rust very effectivly for all sorts of jobs and can desolve teeth,nails etc .It has been proven to leach calcium from bones,in a study published in 2006, cola (NOT just coca cola) was shown to effect women more than men and it was the pelvis that was most effected.This will have happened due to the coke in the blood streem,so you dont need bones in your stomach for them to be effected by what you drink e.g Milk has been shown to help bones(which as you point out are not in your stomach!!) Mike(See post 9/24/06)

[Jose Velazquez]

10 Reasons to drink coke
1. It tastes good
2. feels funny on ur tongue
3.is dirt cheap in mexico
4.makes u look cool hehe
5.can mix with alcohol
6.sends kids up the wall so good entertainment value
7.pretty red can
8. coke invented red santa
9. 100 million yanks cant be wrong
10.bread soaked in coke causes ducks and seagulls to explode!!

thanks

[wb]

most of it is false go to the website i have provided.

[rick]

lol @ kit.
once it hits your stomach its going to be diluted so theres no issue of acidic levels.
i guess you just have to remember to brush your teeth

[n/a]

MYTHBUSTERS had all of this have you heard of it cuz' yer just writing down exactly what they had on their episode.Just to let you know

[n/a]

it is shown on discovery channel or u can look it up on their website discoverychannel.com/mythbusters

[Tawana Jennings]

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[chrissy]

i once did a science project that involved coke. by the time i was done, my fingers were stained orange!

[chrissy]

i got a major sugar high after drinking some coke. what the hell is in there?

[Helen]

I am trying to find a reason not to drink 3 - 5 diet coca colas a day. No basis with proven study as yet. does it really harm my body. I don´´t mind about the calories as I eat very very healthy otherwise and exercise naturally during my normal day. No weight problem. Do I have to give up my favourite drink (also drink lots of water) or can I have a specific number that is safe per day? Grateful for any sensible, factual replies! thanks!

[Tom]

I don't believe coke contains citric acid. It contains carbonic acid. And there are heaps of other foods with a pH lower than 2.8. But i still agree you shouldnt drink coke

[tharpa]

Helen, Coke contains phosphoric acid, not carbonic acid.

[jimbo]

u nerds get a life

[Yasmean Bird]

you peoples should try egg and coke okay bye

[Lucy]

there are articles aginst coke...american owned, it is apparently one of the biggest reasons there is poverty in Mexico, polution as well

[a;fdsl]

im doing a science fair experiment with coke and real teeth. it doesnt even dissolve after 8 weeks, just doesnt look good. the apple juice is worse.