The Many Uses of Phosphoric Acid

Earlier this week, I went to a lunch meeting for work where the guest speaker talked about paint. (Exciting, I know! I do have a glamorous job, by the way.) He talked about different applications and how to get a surface ready to paint. He said cement floors need to be properly prepped by either sanding the surface or using some kind of acid to smooth it out. He suggested phosphoric acid as a good choice. Okay, so mental note to remember that the next time we paint a basement floor somewhere...

Now imagine my surprise the next day when I purchased a bottle of flavored water and (after taking a few drinks) noticed that ingredient #3 on the list was PHOSPHORIC ACID! EEEEWWWW! See, I'm still trying to avoid HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) so I just kind of skimmed the ingredients quickly in the convenience store. In the end, I wasted $1.50, dumped out half the bottle, most likely corroded part of my stomach, and definitely increased my stress level a couple notches for the day. 

So, lesson learned...remember the "Food Rules"...ALWAYS read the ingredient list!!