Two House Democrats today called on the Food and Drug Administration to set new standards for metals such as arsenic in food and beverages.

Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.) were responding to a January Consumer Reports investigation of juice products purchased in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

Of the 88 samples in the study, 10 percent contained arsenic at levels higher than the federal standard for drinking water. A quarter of the samples had lead levels higher than the current drinking water standard for the potent neurotoxin.

FDA has a standard of 10 parts per billion for arsenic in bottled water, but not for food and juice products. The agency's standard for lead is 5 ppb. The agency has never set a standard for juice.

"We write today to strongly urge you to implement enforceable standards for the maximum allowable levels of heavy metals, including arsenic, in foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as soon as possible," the Democrats wrote in letter to FDA Administrator Margaret Hamburg. "Setting a standard for this known carcinogen is sensible given that food is a main exposure to arsenic for many people, including children."

The Democrats also pointed to a recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives that suggests organic brown rice syrup -- which is used in several food products -- may contain unhealthy levels of arsenic.

Since the Consumer Reports investigation, FDA has said it would increase testing for arsenic in juice and is considering setting a tighter standard for inorganic arsenic in the drinks. The agency has also launched an initiative in which it is collecting and testing 90 juice samples from around the country.

Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, has asked FDA to set a 3 ppb juice standard for total arsenic and a 5 ppb standard for lead.

Pallone and DeLauro also recently introduced the "Arsenic Prevention and Protection from Lead Exposure in Juice Act," or "APPLE Juice Act" (H.R. 3984). The bill would require EPA to establish standards for arsenic and lead in juice within two years.

Click here for DeLauro and Pallone's letter to FDA.