Consumer group Choice has found the acid levels of 20 different sour lolly products to be in “the danger zone” for tooth enamel.
Choice said prolonged contact of the lollies with the teeth, tongue and gums would likely cause burns, ulceration, bleeding and long-term dental damage.
“We tested the acid levels of sour lollies following Facebook reports that a number of children had received burns to their tongues and gums after consuming the products,” the group's head of media Tom Godfrey said.
“Obviously you don’t expect lollies to be healthy, but you also don’t expect them to harm your child.
Choice’s acid test found every sour lolly tested had a pH of less than 3.3 – and it said a pH of 5.5 or less was the danger zone for enamel erosion.
"Under acidic conditions tooth enamel can start to dissolve, and the more acid in the mouth, the harder it is for a person's saliva to neutralise its effects and protect teeth,” Godfrey said.
The TNT Mega Sour Grenade product was found to have a pH of 1.83; the Brain Licker Sour Candy Drink a pH of 1.94; Toxic Waste Sour Smog Balls a pH of 2.3.
Warheads Juniors Extreme Sour (pH 2.39) were also highly acidic, as was Toxic Waste Hazardously Sour Candy (pH 2.3), which challenges children to keep the lollies in their mouths for up to 60 seconds to be crowned a “full toxic head”.
