Heavy Metals in Soda?

Can there be such thing as organic metal? We define organic anything that is made of these 6 elements. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, even sulfur and phosphorus. Things are more complicated, like in the case of "organic" metals.

Metals are necessary in developments of any living organism. There is a magnesium atom at the core of every chlorophyll molecule and iron inside any hemoglobin one. About one third of all enzymes have metals in them by design.

Thus very small concentrations of metals are necessary in any organism usually caught in organic combinations (with one of the 6 elements listed above). However plants grown in polluted soil or soil that is rich in minerals may absorb metals in higher amounts than needed.

Once ingested, they may pass the intestine if they are caught in large enough molecules. However, if we burn vegetal matter, like in cigarettes, the metals are freed from their organic combinations and as smaller molecules or atoms they may pass the lung or intestinal wall and go your bloodstream.

Once there, one way your body can get rid of them is if they bind to ascorbic acid molecules (vitamin C) thus depleting your body. More ways is by chelating (bonding) with proteins. In both ways they become part of molecules large enough to be filtered by you kidneys. Otherwise, if they get into your cells they may damage the chromosomes, thus leading to weird mutations and the next cellular division.

Then why people insist of smoking or ingesting those? Things like coffee or cigarettes may contain large amounts of unoxidized metals. Cigarettes may have surprising benefits, like killing mold and pathogens in your lungs, while contaminating your mucus and mutating your cells.

However today it occurred to me caramel does it as well because of the metal impurities present in its precursor.

How about the controversial charcoal?

Activated carbon made of coconut shells may be good in case of acute food poisoning, because it is porous and absorbs big molecules or even bacteria from your digestive tract, and some sites say it can even absorb metals, which puzzles me. Maybe because it is made of compact granules that do not allow the metals in it to be dissolved.

Even coffee does the same, on a smaller scale. The burnt coffee granules may absorb bad stuff from the intestine. However when freshly ground, the granules may release some metals, at their surface that may at first have the same benefit. Besides absorbing, killing bad stuff in your gut. Maybe combining with it and then get eliminated.

But in the case of caramel present in soda, i now (as of today) believe you are taking a load of metals with every serving. I saw once or twice ascorbic acid listed as ingredient in soda, but most time is citric acid and the controversial phosphoric acid as preservative. What to preserve in diet soda? Caffeine? Aspartame? Caramel?