Comment submitted by R. Murray

Public Comment or Submission re Docket No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0627 Docket and Document Information Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0627 Docket Title Formaldehyde Emissions from Pressed Wood Products Document ID EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0627-0001 Document Title Formaldehyde Emissions From Pressed Wood Products Rich Murray, MA Room For All 1943 Otowi Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 505-501-2298 rmforall@comcast.net http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages Sirs: I am Richard "Rich" T. Murray, MA, psychology, Boston University Graduate School, 1967. As a medical layman, I have served as a volunteer information activist since January, 1999, on the Net, providing conscientious, thorough, detailed, fair, civil, balanced reviews of mostly mainstream research on methanol toxicity and its inevitable cumulative toxic reaction products in human tissues of formaldehyde and formic acid. For instance, the EPA level of 1 mg formaldehyde per cubic meter daily indoor air gives about as much resulting daily accumulation of 53 mg persistent toxic reaction products of formaldehyde and formic acid as from six cans aspartame diet drink, from its 132 mg methanol component, as evidence indicates about 40% conversion in humans. This indicates that many unexamined cofactors are compromising research on formaldehyde toxicity from indoor air. Adequate levels of folic acid mitigate the conversion of methanol into formaldehyde and formic acid in most people. This most recent review in my public archive of 1569 posts serves as an introduction to relevant recent research. In mutual service, Rich Murray, MA unexamined cofactors re folic acid antagonist research include methanol (quickly turns into formaldehyde and then formic acid in humans) from tobacco and wood smoke, alcohol beverages, aspartame, demethylation of caffeine: Rich Murray 2008.12.01 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.htm Monday, December 1, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1569 [ See also: formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame, dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.01.30 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.htm Wednesday, January 30, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1508 FEMA slow to safety test Katrina toxic trailers, Charles Babington, Associated Press -- 1 ppm formaldehyde in air is about half the daily dose from 3 cans aspartame diet soda and ten times the 1999 EPA alarm level for drinking water: Murray 2007.07.23 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1455 ] http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/cmaj-met112408.php Public release date: 1-Dec-2008 Contact: Kim Barnhardt kim.barnhardt@cma.ca 613-731-8610 x2224 Canadian Medical Association Journal Maternal exposure to folic acid antagonists increases risks Exposure to folic acid antagonists during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of placenta-mediated adverse outcomes such as preeclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction or fetal death reports a retrospective cohort study published in CMAJ http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1263.pdf . Folic acid antagonists include a broad range of drugs used to treat epilepsy, mood disorders, hypertension and infections. As approximately 50% of pregnancies in industrialized countries like Canada are unplanned, there is a risk of unintended exposure to these medications. The study, conducted by researchers from Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon and Hunan, China looked at 14,982 women who had taken folic acid antagonists one year prior to delivery and 59,825 women who did not. Dr. Shi Wu Wen and co- researchers found that maternal exposure to folic acid antagonists was associated with a slightly higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. They suggest re-classifying some folic acid antagonists and recommend increased folic acid supplements for women requiring folic acid antagonists during pregnancy. In a related commentary http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1243.pdf , Dr. Joel Ray suggests the research study presents some "thought-provoking findings, but the results may not be ready for adoption by clinical practitioners or drug policy makers." He cites some real concerns with the study design and the need for clinically relevant finding as cautions about translating findings into practice. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/343/22/1608 abstract http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/343/22/1608 free full text The New England Jouranal of Medicine Volume 343: 1608-1614 November 30, 2000 Number 22 Folic Acid Antagonists during Pregnancy and the Risk of Birth Defects Sonia Hernández-Díaz, M.D., Dr.P.H., Martha M. Werler, Sc.D., Alexander M. Walker, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Allen A. Mitchell, M.D. ABSTRACT Background Multivitamin supplementation in pregnant women may reduce the risks of cardiovascular defects, oral clefts, and urinary tract defects in their infants. We evaluated whether the folic acid component of multivitamins is responsible for the reduction in risk by examining the associations between maternal use of folic acid antagonists and these congenital malformations. Methods We assessed exposure to folic acid antagonists that act as dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors and to certain antiepileptic drugs in 3870 infants with cardiovascular defects, 1962 infants with oral clefts, and 1100 infants with urinary tract defects and also in 8387 control infants with malformations the risk of which is not reduced after vitamin supplementation. Mothers were interviewed within six months after delivery about their medication use during pregnancy. Results The relative risks of cardiovascular defects and oral clefts in infants whose mothers were exposed to dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors during the second or third month after the last menstrual period, as compared with infants whose mothers had no such exposure, were 3.4 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.8 to 6.4) and 2.6 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 6.1), respectively. The relative risks of cardiovascular defects, oral clefts, and urinary tract defects after maternal exposure to antiepileptic drugs were 2.2 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 3.5), 2.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 4.2), and 2.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 5.0), respectively. Use of multivitamin supplements containing folic acid diminished the adverse effects of dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, but not that of antiepileptic drugs. Conclusions Folic acid antagonists, which include such common drugs as trimethoprim, triamterene, carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, and primidone, may increase the risk not only of neural-tube defects, but also of cardiovascular defects, oral clefts, and urinary tract defects. The folic acid component of multivitamins may reduce the risks of these defects. Source Information From the Slone Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Public Health, Brookline, Mass. (S.H.-D., M.M.W., A.A.M.); and the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston (S.H.-D., A.M.W.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Hernández-Díaz at the Slone Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Public Health, 1371 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446, or at shernan@bu.edu . ____________________________________________________ methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ and aspartame ] is turned into neurotoxic formic acid, prevented by folic acid, re Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto, Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec. plain text: detailed biochemistry, CL Nie et al. 2007.07.18: Murray 2008.02.24 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Sunday, February 24, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1524 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Volume 31 Issue 12 Page 2114-2120, December 2007 Bhushan M. Kapur, b.kapur@utoronto.ca; Arthur C. Vandenbroucke, PhD, FCACB Yana Adamchik, Denis C. Lehotay, dlehotay@health.gov.sk.ca; Peter L. Carlen carlen@uhnres.utoronto.ca; (2007) Formic Acid, a Novel Metabolite of Chronic Ethanol Abuse, Causes Neurotoxicity, Which Is Prevented by Folic Acid Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (12), 2114-2120. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x Abstract Background: Methanol is endogenously formed in the brain and is present as a congener in most alcoholic beverages. Because ethanol is preferentially metabolized over methanol (MeOH) by alcohol dehydrogenase, it is not surprising that MeOH accumulates in the alcohol-abusing population. This suggests that the alcohol-drinking population will have higher levels of MeOH's neurotoxic metabolite, formic acid (FA). FA elimination is mediated by folic acid. Neurotoxicity is a common result of chronic alcoholism. This study shows for the first time that FA, found in chronic alcoholics, is neurotoxic and this toxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration. Objective: To determine if FA levels are higher in the alcohol-drinking population and to assess its neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal rat brain slice cultures. Methods: Serum and CSF FA was measured in samples from both ethanol abusing and control patients, who presented to a hospital emergency department. [ CSF = Cerebral Spinal Fluid ] FA's neurotoxicity and its reversibility by folic acid were assessed using organotypic rat brain hippocampal slice cultures using clinically relevant concentrations. Results: Serum FA levels in the alcoholics (mean ± SE: 0.416 +- 0.093 mmol/l, n = 23) were significantly higher than in controls (mean ± SE: 0.154 +- 0.009 mmol/l, n = 82) (p < 0.0002). FA was not detected in the controls' CSF (n = 20), whereas it was >0.15 mmol/l in CSF of 3 of the 4 alcoholic cases. Low doses of FA from 1 to 5 mmol/l added for 24, 48 or 72 hours to the rat brain slice cultures caused neuronal death as measured by propidium iodide staining. When folic acid (1 umol/l) was added with the FA, neuronal death was prevented. [ umol = micromole ] Conclusions: Formic acid may be a significant factor in the neurotoxicity of ethanol abuse. This neurotoxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration at a clinically relevant dose. Key Words: Formic Acid, Folic Acid, Methanol, Neurotoxicity, Alcoholism. From the Department of Clinical Pathology (BMK), Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; St. Michael's Hospital (ACV), Toronto, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, (BMK, ACV), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Physiology (YA, PLC), Toronto Western Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and University of Saskatchewan (DLC), Saskatchewan, Canada. Received for publication May 1, 2007; accepted September 24, 2007. Reprint requests: Dr. Bhushan M. Kapur, Department of Clinical Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada; Fax: 416-813-7562; E-mail: b.kapur@utoronto.ca; Copyright 2007 by the Research Society on Alcoholism. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2007 Dec. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, Vol. 31, No 12, 2007: pp 2114-2120 NEUROTOXICITY AND BRAIN damage are common concomitants findings of chronic alcoholism (Carlen and Wilkinson, 1987; Carlen et al., 1981; Harper, 2007). The cause of ethanol-induced neurotoxicity is still unclear. We present here a novel hypothesis for neurotoxicity: increased formic acid (FA) levels produced from methanol (MeOH), whose catabolism is blocked by ethanol. Axelrod and Daly (1965) demonstrated the endogenous formation of MeOH from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in the pituitary glands of humans and various other mammalian species. Presence of MeOH in the breath of human subjects was reported by Ericksen and Kulkarni (1963). Most alcoholic beverages also have a small amount of MeOH as a congener (Sprung et al., 1988). As ethanol (EtOH) has a higher affinity for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) than MeOH, EtOH is preferentially metabolized (Mani et al., 1970). As a result, MeOH accumulation from endogenously produced MeOH, and/or, that consumed as part of an alcoholic beverage, has been reported in concentrations up to 2 mmol/l in heavy drinkers (Majchrowicz and Mendelson, 1971). Toxicity resulting from MeOH consumption is extensively documented in both humans and animals and has been attributed to its metabolite, FA (Benton and Calhoun, 1952; Roe, 1946, 1955; Wood, 1912; Wood and Buller, 1904). The rate of formate oxidation and elimination is dependent on adequate levels of hepatic folic acid, particularly hepatic tetrahydrofolate (THF) (Johlin et al., 1987; Tephly and McMartin, 1974). Significantly higher formate levels were obtained when folate-deficient animals were exposed to MeOH as compared with folate-sufficient animals (Lee et al., 1994; McMartin et al., 1975; Noker et al., 1980). To understand ethanol's toxicity, one must consider FA produced from MeOH, and its elimination mediated by folic acid. We postulate that in the chronically drinking patient, we will find higher levels of FA than in the nondrinking population, and that formate is neurotoxic. We also hypothesize that treatment with folic acid, which is a critical factor in the catabolism of FA, can prevent or diminish FA neurotoxicity. ____________________________________________________ detailed critiques of JE Garst folic acid proposals by experts HJ Roberts and M Alemany: Murray 2008.03.20 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Thursday, March 20, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1530 RE: 5 mg folic acid helps methanol to not form toxic formaldehyde and formic acid -- no effect re formaldehyde from methanol in human breast and arterial epithelial tissue: Garth: Monte 2008.03.19 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Wednesday, March 19, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1529 Re: 5 mg folic acid helps methanol to not form toxic formaldehyde and formic acid, but most research has neglected folic acid deficiency re cancer, birth defects, and neurotoxicity -- flaws in many studies on aspartame -- breakthrough insights by John E Garst, PhD toxicologist: Murray 2008.03.19 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Wednesday, March 19, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1528 5 mg folic acid helps methanol to not form toxic formaldehyde and formic acid, but most research has neglected folic acid deficiency re cancer, birth defects, and neurotoxicity -- flaws in many studies on aspartame -- breakthrough insights by John E Garst, PhD toxicologist: Murray 2008.03.19 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Wednesday, March 19, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1528 _____________________________________________________ details on 6 epidemiological studies since 2004 on diet soda (mainly aspartame) correlations, as well as 14 other mainstream studies on aspartame toxicity since summer 2005: Murray 2007.11.18 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.htm Wednesday, November 14, 2007 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1490 old tiger roars -- Woodrow C Monte, PhD -- aspartame causes many breast cancers, as ADH enzyme in breasts makes methanol from diet soda into carcinogenic formaldehyde -- same in dark wines and liquors, Fitness Life 2008 Jan.: Murray 2008.02.11 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Monday, February 11, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1517 role of formaldehyde, made by body from methanol from foods and aspartame, in steep increases in fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, multiple sclerosis, lupus, teen suicide, breast cancer, Nutrition Prof. Woodrow C. Monte, retired, Arizona State U., two reviews, 190 references supplied, Fitness Life, New Zealand 2007 Nov, Dec: Murray 2007.12.26 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.htm Wednesday, December 26 2007 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1498 Monte WC., Is your Diet Sweetener killing you? Fitness Life. 2007 Nov; 33: 31-33. Monte WC., A Deadly Experiment. Fitness Life. 2007 Dec; 34: 38-42. Monte WC., Bittersweet: Aspartame Breast Cancer Link. Fitness Life. 2008 Feb; 34: 21-22. Article 1 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review1.shtml Article 2 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review2.shtml Article 3 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review3.shtml http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/articles.shtml 223 references with abstracts or full and partial texts _____________________________________________________ ASE 3.3.1. "Exposure to Formaldehyde From Methanol in Aspartame As is described later, methanol is metabolized to formaldehyde, which is rapidly further metabolized." "For example, the demethylation of the caffeine found in one cup of coffee produces 30 mg of formaldehyde (Imbus, 1988)." ASE 151. Imbus, H. R. (1988) A review of regulatory risk assessment with formaldehyde as an example. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 8 , pp. 356-366. [ crossref ] [ http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:3905920 [ not in PubMed ] J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1985 Dec; 76(6):831-40 3905920 (P,S,G,E,B) Clinical evaluation of patients with complaints related to formaldehyde exposure. H R Imbus Formaldehyde is a very widely used chemical in our present society and one with which every physician has had a first-hand experience in his early days of training in the anatomy laboratory. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health lists 52 occupations that expose people to formaldehyde. In recent years, however, the increasing use of formaldehyde resins in the production of building materials such as particleboard and urea-formaldehyde foam insulation has resulted in exposures of large numbers of people in nonoccupational settings. Consumer products such as cosmetics, cigarettes, textiles, furniture, draperies, and preservatives release formaldehyde. It is present in the outdoor atmosphere from products of combustion and automobile exhaust and likewise in the home from such things as gas cooking. These more widespread and increased exposures have resulted in concern regarding potential health effects. Therefore, it is likely that physicians have or will encounter patients who wish evaluations of a present or potential health effect from formaldehyde. This article is for the purpose of providing assistance in such evaluation. Mesh-terms: Acute Disease; Animals; Asthma :: chemically induced; Chronic Disease; Dermatitis, Contact :: etiology; Drug Hypersensitivity :: diagnosis; Drug Hypersensitivity :: etiology; Environmental Exposure; Formaldehyde :: toxicity; Human; Mice; Occupational Diseases :: chemically induced; Radioimmunoassay; Rats; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory Hypersensitivity :: diagnosis; Skin Tests; Time Factors; http://www.nclabor.com/osha/etta/indguide/ig31.pdf 38 page A Guide to Formaldehyde 1988 July H. R. Imbus Health & Hygiene, Inc. 420 Gallimore Dairy Road, Greensboro, NC 27409 910-655-1818 www.Health-Hygiene.com/ http://web.archive.org/web/19981205114939/health-hygiene.com/ Merger Information Impact Health Services, Inc. Merged with Health & Hygiene/ELB In June, 1998, Impact Health Services, Inc., was merged with U.S. HealthWorks, parent company of Health & Hygiene/ELB. Impact Health Services is the largest mobile testing company providing hearing and respiratory surveillance services throughout the country. Founded in 1972, and operating out of Kansas City, Missouri, Impact has grown to serve over 5,000 client sites in all the 48 continental United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, Health & Hygiene/ELB, which was merged with U.S. HealthWorks in 1996, is one of the country's largest safety and health consulting companies offering consulting, training, products and services in the areas of industrial hygiene, occupational safety and ergonomics, training, occupational health, hearing conservation, respiratory surveillance, and OSHA compliance. As a result of the recent merger, Health & Hygiene/ELB and Impact Health Services have been merged to form U.S. HealthWorks-Preventive Services Division. U.S. HealthWorks has appointed Jeffrey C. Morrill, formerly CEO of Impact, as President of the new Preventive Services Division, Susan Megerson, formerly President of Impact, will be managing on-site testing operations, and Hank Barnum, formerly Sr. V.P.-Operations of Health & Hygiene/ELB, will be managing consulting operations. Company Overview U.S. HealthWorks-Preventive Services is the nation's largest training and consulting firm assisting employers and employer associations with the safety and health concerns of their workforce. We are now also the nation's largest provider of on-site medical surveillance and training services. Our mission is to reduce absenteeism and its inherent costs by helping to provide a workplace free of injuries and illnesses. This is accomplished by assisting with regulatory compliance programs (OSHA, DOT, JCAHO, EPA, etc.) and other preventative measures such as training, loss control, and elimination of substance abuse. Workplace absenteeism due to injuries and illnesses represents an enormous cost to employers in wages for the absent employee and replacement employee, medical costs, workers compensation premiums, regulatory fines, legal expenses, retraining and rehabilitation. U.S. HealthWorks-Preventive Services strives to significantly reduce these costs by emphasizing preventative services and products. Services Include: * Occupational Medicine * Ergonomics Consultation * Industrial Hygiene * Hearing Conservation * Respiratory Surveillance * On-Site Medical Monitoring -Audiometric Testing - Exclusive TTC -Test, Train Counsel approach -Pulmonary Testing -Medical Clearance for Respirator Use -Respirator Fit Testing * Health Management Software & Equipment * Safety Services * TIOSH -- Training Institute for Occupational Safety & Health * Data Management * On-Site Employee Training * Customized Hearing Protection and Communication Devices * Network of Occupational Health Clinics 420 Gallimore Dairy Road Greensboro, NC 27409 Phone 336-665-1818 Fax 336-665-0847 Revised June 25, 1998 ] From: opportunities re BA Magnuson, GA Burdock et al., Aspartame Safety Evaluation 2007 Sept., Critical Reviews in Toxicology: Rich Murray 2008.07.11 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm Friday, July 11, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1550 Bernadene A. Magnuson, George A. Burdock, John Doull, Robert M. Kroes, [deceased] Gary M. Marsh, Michael W. Pariza, Peter S. Spencer, William J. Waddell, Ronald Walker, Gary Murray Williams. "Aspartame: A Safety Evaluation Based on Current Use Levels, Regulations, and Toxicological and Epidemiological Studies," Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 37(8), 629-727, 2007 Sept [415 references] http://www.utoronto.ca/nutrisci/faculty/Magnuson/ Bernadene A. Magnuson, Ph.D. Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences Senior Scientific and Regulatory Consultant, Cantox Health Science International, 2233 Argentia Road, Suite 308, Mississauga, ON L5N 2X7 Tel: (905) 542 2900 Fax: (905) 542 1011 BMagnuson@cantox.com; _____________________________________________________ "Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy peace, joy, and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively act upon evidence about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment." Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@comcast.net 505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages group with 133 members, 1,569 posts in a public archive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages group with 1144 members, 23,083 posts in a public archive _____________________________________________________ similar levels of daily formaldehyde and formic acid, causes of birth defects, come from cigarettes, aspartame, and dark wines and liquors -- folic acid protects most people: Rich Murray 2008.07.15 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm Tuesday, July 15, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1552 ___________________________________________________ "A smoker who goes through one pack a day will smoke 7,300 cigarettes a year, inhaling the equivalent of nearly 1 gram of formaldehyde (yikes!)." That's about 2.5 mg daily formaldehyde intake for 20 cigarettes, over the 2 mg USA FDA alarm level for formaldehyde in average 2 liters daily drinking water, while a single 12 oz can of diet soda also results in about 2 mg formaldehyde toxic products in the body, including formic acid, a notorious cause of birth defects. Dark wines and liquors usually supply even more methanol, which the body always turns into formaldehyde and formic acid -- the major cause of "morning after" hangovers. High levels of folic acid, a safe, affordable vitamin in fruits and vegetables, largely prevents formaldehyde and formic acid toxicity in most people. It is certain that high levels of aspartame use, above 2 liters daily for months and years, must lead to chronic formaldehyde-formic acid toxicity. Fully 11 % of aspartame is methanol -- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 liters diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). The methanol is immediately released into the body after drinking . Within hours, the liver turns much of the methanol into formaldehyde, and then much of that into formic acid, both of which in time are partially eliminated as carbon dioxide and water. However, about 30 % of the methanol remains in the body as cumulative durable toxic metabolites of formaldehyde and formic acid -- 37 mg daily, a gram every month, accumulating in and affecting every tissue. If only 10 % of the methanol is retained daily as formaldehyde, that would give 12 mg daily formaldehyde accumulation -- about 60 times more than the 0.2 mg from 10 % retention of the 2 mg EPA daily limit for formaldehyde in drinking water. Bear in mind that the EPA limit for formaldehyde in drinking water is 1 ppm, or 2 mg daily for a typical daily consumption of 2 liters of water. formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame, dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.01.30 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.htm Wednesday, January 30, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1508 The FEMA trailers give about the same amount of formaldehyde and formic acid daily as from a quart of dark wine or liquor, or two quarts (6 12-oz cans) of aspartame diet soda, from their over 1 tenth gram methanol impurity (one part in 10,000), which the body quickly makes into formaldehyde and then formic acid -- enough to be the major cause of "morning after" alcohol hangovers. Methanol and formaldehyde and formic acid also result from many fruits and vegetables, tobacco and wood smoke, heater and vehicle exhaust, household chemicals and cleaners, cosmetics, and new cars, drapes, carpets, furniture, particleboard, mobile homes, buildings, leather... so all these sources add up and interact with many other toxic chemicals. methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ and aspartame ] is turned into neurotoxic formic acid, prevented by folic acid, re Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto, Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec. plain text: detailed biochemistry, CL Nie et al. 2007.07.18: Murray 2008.02.24 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm Sunday, February 24, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1524 ___________________________________________________ http://www.divine.ca/en/health-and-wellness/articles/c_16_i_3295/5-reasons-to- quit-smoking-1.html Canada's Online Women's Magazine http://www.divine.ca/en/divineca/contact-us/c_271/ 5 Reasons to Quit Smoking NOW By Mariève Inoue It's common knowledge that smoking is bad for you. Shocking, even horrifying pictures of what smoking can do to your body are placed strategically on packs of cigarettes in an effort to encourage people to quit, and the price of cigarettes is constantly being increased. Yet according to the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, about 5.3 million Canadians aged 15 and over were current smokers in 2003. If you've never been a smoker, or have quit successfully, our hats go off to you -- but if you're still stepping out for that cigarette break, we've got some facts and stats to give you an extra nudge towards quitting for good. Reason #1: Tobacco kills an estimated 45,000 Canadians every year. This number is higher than the number of deaths caused by AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined. Reason #2: Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals. These include carbon monoxide (what comes out of the car exhaust), arsenic (rat poison), ammonia (found in many window cleaners), naphthalene (used in mothballs), lead, formaldehyde, and butane. A smoker who goes through one pack a day will smoke 7,300 cigarettes a year, inhaling the equivalent of nearly 1 gram of formaldehyde (yikes!). Reason #3: Smoking puts you at risk for lung cancer. among other things. It's a known fact: smoking puts you at risk for developing lung cancer. But did you know it also puts you at a higher risk of developing pancreas, breast, cervical, stomach, kidney, and bladder cancer, as well as leukemia, coronary heart disease, circulatory, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tooth decay, gum disease, osteoporosis and cataracts? Reason #4: It's not only about you. Second hand smoke exposure is the number two cause of lung cancer (the number one cause being smoking), which means that by smoking you're not only putting yourself in danger, but also the people around you and your loved ones. Reason #5: It's never too late to quit. Within eight hours of not having smoked, carbon monoxide levels decrease, and the oxygen levels in your blood increase. After having quit for two days, your sense of taste and smell start to improve. Between two weeks and three months after having quit, your lungs work better, making it a lot easier to do a vital action: breathe. And only one year after having quit, your risk of having a smoking-related heart attack is reduced by half. Sources: Health Canada, Canadian Cancer Society, and The Lung Association ___________________________________________________ re "A Few too Many", Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, long review of hangover research 2008.05.26 -- same levels of formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame, dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.06.05 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.htm Thursday, June 5, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1541 [ See also: There really is no controversy, Adrienne Samuels PhD, letter re evident toxicity of aspartame EJCN 2008.06.11: Murray 2008.06.30 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.htm Monday, June 30, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1546 former key Hillary Clinton staff Mark Penn and Patti Solis Doyle use much neurotoxic aspartame Diet Coke -- also many other politicians: Murray 2008.06.30 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.htm Monday, June 30, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1545 opportunities re BA Magnuson, GA Burdock et al., Aspartame Safety Evaluation 2007 Sept., Critical Reviews in Toxicology: Rich Murray 2008.07.11 http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm Friday, July 11, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1550 ] http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_acocella? currentPage=all Annals Of Drinking A Few Too Many Is there any hope for the hung over? by Joan Acocella May 26, 2008 themail@newyorker.com "Wayne Jones, of the Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Medicine" [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1469 highly toxic formaldehyde, the cause of alcohol hangovers, is made by the body from 100 mg doses of methanol from dark wines and liquors, dimethyl dicarbonate, and aspartame: Murray 2007.08.31 ] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1286 methanol products (formaldehyde and formic acid) are main cause of alcohol hangover symptoms [same as from similar amounts of methanol, the 11% part of aspartame]: YS Woo et al, 2005 Dec: Murray 2006.01.20 Addict Biol. 2005 Dec;10(4): 351-5. Concentration changes of methanol in blood samples during an experimentally induced alcohol hangover state. Woo YS, Yoon SJ, Lee HK, Lee CU, Chae JH, Lee CT, Kim DJ. Chuncheon National Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. http://www.cuk.ac.kr/eng/ sysop@catholic.ac.kr Songsin Campus: 02-740-9714 Songsim Campus: 02-2164-4116 Songeui Campus: 02-2164-4114 http://www.cuk.ac.kr/eng/sub055.htm eight hospitals [ Han-Kyu Lee ] A hangover is characterized by the unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that occur between 8 and 16 hours after drinking alcohol. After inducing experimental hangover in normal individuals, we measured the methanol concentration prior to and after alcohol consumption and we assessed the association between the hangover condition and the blood methanol level. A total of 18 normal adult males participated in this study. They did not have any previous histories of psychiatric or medical disorders. The blood ethanol concentration prior to the alcohol intake (2.26+/-2.08) was not significantly different from that 13 hours after the alcohol consumption (3.12+/-2.38). However, the difference of methanol concentration between the day of experiment (prior to the alcohol intake) and the next day (13 hours after the alcohol intake) was significant (2.62+/-1.33/l vs. 3.88+/-2.10/l, respectively). A significant positive correlation was observed between the changes of blood methanol concentration and hangover subjective scale score increment when covarying for the changes of blood ethanol level (r=0.498, p<0.05). This result suggests the possible correlation of methanol as well as its toxic metabolite to hangover. PMID: 16318957 [ The toxic metabolite of methanol is formaldehyde, which in turn partially becomes formic acid -- both potent cumulative toxins that are the actual cause of the toxicity of methanol.] This study by Jones AW (1987) found next-morning hangover from red wine with 100 to 150 mg methanol (9.5 % w/v ethanol, 100 mg/l methanol, 0.01 %). Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol -- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 L diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). Pharmacol Toxicol. 1987 Mar; 60(3): 217-20. Elimination half-life of methanol during hangover. Jones AW. wayne.jones@RMV.se; Department of Forensic Toxicology, University Hospital, SE-581 85 Linkoping, Sweden. This paper reports the elimination half-life of methanol in human volunteers. Experiments were made during the morning after the subjects had consumed 1000-1500 ml red wine (9.5 % w/v ethanol, 100 mg/l methanol) the previous evening. [ 100 to 150 mg methanol ] The washout of methanol from the body coincided with the onset of hangover. The concentrations of ethanol and methanol in blood were determined indirectly by analysis of end-expired alveolar air. In the morning when blood-ethanol dropped below the Km of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) of about 100 mg/l (2.2 mM), the disappearance half-life of ethanol was 21, 22, 18 and 15 min. in 4 test subjects respectively. The corresponding elimination half-lives of methanol were 213, 110, 133 and 142 min. in these same individuals. The experimental design outlined in this paper can be used to obtain useful data on elimination kinetics of methanol in human volunteers without undue ethical limitations. Circumstantial evidence is presented to link methanol or its toxic metabolic products, formaldehyde and formic acid, with the pathogenesis of hangover. PMID: 3588516 ] ___________________________________________________ "Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy peace, joy, and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively act upon evidence about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment." Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@comcast.net 505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages group with 127 members, 1,552 posts in a public archive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages group with 1,121 members, 22,820 posts in public archive ___________________________________________________