Dangerous Cider?

Okay, so I just picked up a packet of "Alpine Original Spiced Cider", an "Apple Flavour Drink Mix". It's an instant, just-add-hot-water cider drink. Seeing as how the package says "Natural and Artificial Flavours" on the front, I flipped it over to read the ingredients on the back. I saw "sugar" as the first ingredient, followed by "malic acid", "maltodextrin", and then "calcium phosphate tribasic". Hmmm, I wondered. That's a new one, "calcium phosphate tribasic"....

It sounded strange enough, this tribasic stuff, that I figured I'd Google it and see what came up. The first hit was at this URL: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/c0490.htm, which is a Material Safety Data Sheet listing for the compound, as sold by Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc. On the page, it lists Product Identification, such as synonyms -- one of which is "Calcium hydroxy apatite", which I've seen in ingredient lists before. It shows the chemical formula as Ca5(OH)(PO4)3, which, if I remember my high school chemistry properly, means 5 Calcium atoms and 3 Phosphate ions joined by a Hydronium ion (who happens to be a third cousin of mine, twice removed, heheheh). Sounds benign enough, and it's certainly one of the smaller molecules.

Then I scroll down the page a little more, and see "Hazards Identification". Immediately below that is this message (with formatting copied from the page):

Emergency Overview

--------------------------

WARNING! DIRECT CONTACT WITH EYES MAY CAUSE SEVERE IRRITATION OR BURNS.
CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED
OR INHALED.

Whoah! Okay, so that's kinda scary. The document goes on to describe in detail how nasty it is, how careful you have to be when handling it and disposing of it, and, most importantly, how it is "practically insoluble in water."

Now, let me get this straight. This is a substance that should not be consumed, as it will cause gastrointestinal irritation (with symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea). It also does not dissolve in water, which means that there's no way the nastiness can be altered by mixing it with water before consuming it. Yet, there it is, third ingredient in this pleasant-looking beverage. According to the ingredients list, there's more calcium phosphate tribasic then there is "dried apple juice" (which is the next ingredient in the list).

Hmmmmmm.....


This is a quandary. Surely, the manufacturers would not include anything harmful in my pleasant-looking apple cider-like beverage. Could I be missing something?

Huh. Well, I'll let you know this afternoon, after I've enjoyed (or at least tried to enjoy) this dubious concoction.

Hg

BTW - If you don't see a post this afternoon, it probably means I didn't survive. Or maybe not. Maybe I'll just forget, or get busy. Who can say?