Safely use of Plastic Food Packaging

There are seven type of plastic polymers used for food-drink packaging,

many of their additives as well as monomers impurities are harmful for health.

The plastic resin identification codes

Plastics play many important roles in life on earth, but the widespread use of plastics are also causing environmental problems, and harmful for health, chemicals leached from plastics used in cooking and food / drink storage are harmful to human health, the most disturbing of these are hormone disrupters, like Bisphenol A (BPA), which can stimulate the growth of cancer cells, exposure to BPA at a young age can cause genetic damage, the health risks of plastic are significantly amplified in children, whose immune and organ systems are developing and are more vulnerable, plastic should be used wisely, with caution and only when suitable alternatives do not exist or available.
Plastic packaging polymers (resins) which are safe for food and beverages are type No.1 (PET / PETE), No.2 (HDPE), No.4 (LDPE), No.5 (PP). which are not safe for foods and beverages are type No.3 (PVC), No.6 (Polystyrene), and No.7 (others / Polycarbonate).

Recycle of used plastic packaging :

Consumers have a way to identify the type of plastic in many products, especially food storage containers and packaging, the resin identification code in molded formed or imprinted on the bottom of plastic containers. This system of coding was developed in 1988 by the U.S.based Society of the Plastics Industry to facilitate the recycling of post-consumer plastics, it is voluntary for plastic manufacturers, but has become relatively standard on certain plastic products sold globally, unfortunately, as a matter of fact, many plastic products have not yet bearing the resin identification code.

platic polymer / resin identification codes imprinted

at the bottom of plastic bottles

Use of the resin identification codes:

1. For consumers, by knowing the resin identification code for particular plastic products, consumers can then inform themselves of the characteristics of the plastics and the risks of using that products.
2. For plastic recyclers, in the process of recycling, plastic packaging should be separated in groups based on their type of resins (polymers) and their colors,

Recycled plastic packaging are prohibited for re-packing foods and beverages, they are used for other purposes, use only genuine plastic polymers for foods, drinks, drugs / medicines, medicinal devices, and cosmetics.

Polymer chemical compounds can be classified into:

1. Natural polymers: shellac, amber.

2. Biopolymers: proteins, DNA, cellulose.

3. Synthetic polymers: plastics, silicones, nylon, polyacrylonitril.

Plastics are synthetic polymer products, the results polymerization (polycondensation) of the monomers depending on the type of plastics, monomers are nsaturated hydrocarbon chemical compounds, have a double bond between their two carbon atom (double bond chain), called Alkene or olefine, monomers for plastic manufacturing are ethylene, propylene, vinyl-chloride, styrene etc.

Plastic polymers can be divided into two groups:

Polyolefins: polymerization of alkene or olefine,

1. HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) – Recycle code No.2: HDPE is flexible, more rigid than LDPE, good impact strength and stress crack reesistence, good chemical resistance, good vapor barrier. Common uses: plastic bottles and jars for drinking water, foods, milks, juices, cosmetics, detergents and shampoo bottles.
2. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) – Recycle code No.3: PVC is flexible to rigid, good for coating, fair water vapor barrier but good oxygen barrier, good chemical resistance, good impact and some stress crack resistance, poor recycling due to chloride residues. Common uses: clear foods and non foods packaging (cling-wrap), squeeze bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oils, peanut butter jars, medical tubing (medical devices), detergents, glass cleaner bottles, shower curtains, numerous construction products (wire insulations, pipes, sidings). Leaches di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) or butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), depending on which is used as the plasticizer or softener in the manufacturing. PVC has been described as one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created
3. LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) – Recycle code No.4: LDPE is very flexible, natural milky color, translucent with high impact strength, good chemical resistance, good water vapor and alcohol barrier properties, poor gas barrier, hood stress crack and impact resistance. Common uses: squeezable bottles for honey, mustard, for bread and food bags, used in grocery store, dry cleaning, most plastic wraps.
4. PP (Polypropylene) – Recycle code No.5: PP is rigid, solid, durable in container or cap forms, opaque, natural grayish yellow in natural form, excellent stress crack and impact resistance, PP botlles and jars have excellent moisture barrier, good oil and alcohol barriers, poor gas barrier properties, good chemical resistance. Common uses: plastic containers for ketchups, yogurts, syrup bottles, drinking straws, baby bottles, margarines tubs, medicines.
5. PS (Polystyrene) – Recycle code No.6: PS is transparent, rigid and glasslike polymer, light and heat stable, biologically inert and non-toxic, good resistance to inorganic chemicals, PS containers have good impact and stress resistance, poor barrier properties. Common uses: Styrofoam containers, food plates, take-out food containers, disposable cups and bowls, packaging for CDs (compact disc cases), egg cartons, plastic cutlery. Leaches styrene, which is an endocrine disruptor mimicking the female hormone estrogen, and thus has the potential to cause reproductive and developmental problems.
6. Other (miscellaneous classification) - Recycle No.7: it includes:

• PC (polycarbonate), a dangerous plastic, the new, safer, Common uses of PC bottles: plastic bottles for squeezable ketchups and syrups, juices, used in most plastic baby feed bottles, clear plastic sippy cups, drinking water bottles, large water storage containers, metal food can liners, compact discs, cell phones, computers. Leaches Bisphenol-A an hormone (endocrine) disrupters. Plastic bottles and plastic containers from this group are not easily recyclable
• Bioplastics: Biodegradable bio-based plastics (Plastarch material – PSM) & Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) made from renewable resources such as corn and potato starch, and sugar cane, the new safer plastic products.
• PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), known as Teflon.
• Acrylonitrile styrene (AS) or styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), and Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Both AS/SAN and ABS are higher quality plastics with increased strength, rigidity, toughness and temperature and chemical resistance. AS/SAN is used in mixing bowls, thermos casing, dishes, cutlery, coffee filters, toothbrushes, outer covers (printers, calculators, lamps), battery housing. The incorporation of butadiene during the manufacture of AS/SAN, produces ABS, which is an even tougher plastic. ABS is used in LEGO toys, pipes, golf club heads, automotive parts, protective head gear.
  

Polyester: polymerization of esters

1. PET / PETE (Polyethelene Terephthalate) – Recycle code No.1; PET or PETE is semi-rigid to rigid depending on container’s wall thickness, good to fair chemical barrier, not good for strong acids and bases (alkali), good solvent and alcohol barrier, good gas and fair moisture barrier, good moldability. PET / PETE bottles and jars have good stress crack and impact at room temperature. Common uses: bottles for drinking waters, soft drinks, sodas, beers, juices, foods, salad dressings, edible oils, peanut butters, cereal box liners, mouthwashes, lotions, liquid soaps / detergents, cleaning agent containers. Leaches Antimony trioxide.
2. PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) – Recycle code No.1: good chemical resistance, clear color, resistance to water, weak acids and bases at room temperature.
3. Polyester fabrics.
4. Polyester fibers.

Harmful chemical compounds in the plastic products:

In the process of polymerization (poly-condensation) there are possibilities of some monomers which are not bound into polymer molecules (macro-molecules), so that they remain as monomer-free compounds in the plastic products.
There are three compounds in plastic products:

1. Polymer compounds: poly-olefins, or polyesters. International Agency for research on Cancer (IARC) studies on carcinogenicity of plastic polymers on animals indicate that plastic polymers are not inherently carcinogenic or genetotoxic. Plastic Polymers are biologically inert due to high molecular weight.
2. Additives (chemicals added to improve the nature of plastics themselves.
3. Monomers impurities.

Many additive chemical compounds used for plastic manufacturing are harmful for human health, they can leach into foods, drinks etc.

Additives for plastics manufacturing are classified based on their functions:
Additives are not part of the polymers matrix, they may migrate out of the plastic surface, the extent of migration is usually enhanced by temperature, additives are usually made up of small molecules which may be absorbed into the human body, some additives are very toxic, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) containing stabilizers have potential adverse human, and eco-toxicological effect, now they are currently being phased out and replaced by stearate and oleate salt of Barium (Ba), Zinc (Zn), Calcium (Ca) system. Lubricants as plastic additives generally do not pose human hazard unless they contain heavy metals. (see Lead-stearate as lubricant). Plasticizers phathalate and adipates as plastic additives are commonly used in PVC manufacturing, they can easily off-gas and migrate into fatty foods when foods are wrapped in PVC, high dosage of phthalates and adipates may cause testicular atrophy, decrease spermatogenesis and lower fertility.

1. Stabilizer:

· Lead compound, compound Lead / Plumbum (Pb): lead-oxides, lead-sulphates, lead-phosphates.

· Cadmium compound (Cd).

· Metal-soap-compound: Zn, Ca/Zn, Ba/Zn, Ba/Cd- stearates and oleate.

· Organic tin compounds (Zn / tin), such as dimethyl-tin-thioglycolate.

2. Palsticizers:

· Phathalates: Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), Dioctylphthalate (DOP)

· Adipates: Diethylhexyladipate (DEHA),

· Bisphenol (BPA), used in Polycarbonate baby bottles.

3. Lubricants:

· Lead-stearate,

· Stearic-acid (waxes),

· Mineral-oil.

4. Catalysts:

· Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)

· Ethyl-chloroformate,

· Methylethyl-ketone peroxide,

· Antimony-based catalyst used in the manufacturing of PET bottles.

5. Others additives:

· Pigments: should be food grade (FDC).

· Fillers: talc, titanium-dioxide (TiO₂).

· Bacteriostatics.

· UV radiation absorbers.

· Antistatic agents

· Surfactants.

Additives should be considered carefully, some of them are very toxic, consideration must be made to :

• · Length of food exposure,
• · rate of additives and residues migration into foods,
• · possibility of accumulation.
• 
  

Monomers impurities: ethylene, vinyl-chloride, propylene, styrene.

Some plastic monomers (residue / impurities in plastic manufacturing – during polymerization process) may pose hazards, in some plastics, residues are negligible, but in others they are significant, especially if the molecular weight of the plastic polymers are small, most monomers are not appreciably absorbed through skin, but can be absorbed very well by lung and gastrointestinal tract. Vinyl-chloride monomer (VCM) causes liver cancer, also causes skin and lung tumor, depression of central nerve system (CNS) at dosage of 8000-10.000 ppm. Ethylene and propylene monomers are not genetotoxic. Styrene are strongly genetotoxic when metabolized to styrene-oxide, styrene may also be carcinogenic to human.

Various plastic containers for drinking water sold in the market:

· No.1 (PET / PETE) for drinking water packaged in plastic bottles of 600 ml – 1000 ml.

· No.5 (PP) for drinking water packaged in plastic glass or plastic cup of 250 ml.

· No.7 (Other) for drinking water packaged in plastic gallon container of 20 liters

· No.2 (HDPE) for bottles and gallon plastic caps.

How to use safely plastic food-drink containers?

• Drinking water, try and avoid plastic bottles, use glass bottles or stailess steel bottles, if use plastic bottles made from #1(PET / PETE) or #2 (HDPE) plastic try not to reuse them, and consume the contents as soon as possible because leaching of antimony increases with time.
• Do not use plastic dishes and utensils for meals, as alternatives use glass, ceramic, wood, stainless steel, and lacquer ware.
• Do not heat foods in plastic containers, especially in the microwave oven, which can cause the plastic to degrade and leach chemicals faster, leaching increases when plastic comes into contact with oily or fatty foods, or when the plastic is scratched, worn, cracked, or sticky.
• Do not use PC (polycarbonate) baby bottles, try to use glass, polyethylene, or polypropylene, check the bottle to be sure of the type of plastic code it contains. for baby bottle nipples, try and use silicone which does not leach the carcinogenic nitrosamines that can be found in latex, if has to use PC (polycarbonate) bottles, do not heat the foods and drinks in the bottle, heat them in a separate containers and then transfer them to the bottle once it is warm enough for the child to eat or drink, if the PC plastic bottles are showing signs of wears or scratched, cloudy, do not use but discard the container, replace with the new one.
• Use sippy cups made of stainless steel, or made of polypropylene or polyethylene.
• Use plastic wraps with caution, especially in the microwave, and try to keep the plastic from touching the food, as safer alternatives are using wax paper.

Stainless steel and glass food storage containers are the best for use.

Continued with Related Articles:

· PET / PETE Bottle, its advantages, and its Health issues

· Safely use of Polycarbonate Baby Feed Bottles

· Safely use of Polystyrene Food Plates

. Bioplastics

All about Body Pains

Familiar with all about body pains,

choose the most suitable treatments.

For Healthier living purposes!!!

Let we look at the indications of many pain relieving medicinal products: muscular creams, jellies, liniments, ointments, we can find so many terms of body pains:

“ Muscular cramp, Muscular pain, Lumbago, stiff neck, Neuralgia, Sciatica, Sprain, Strain, Rheumatism, Chilblain, Bruises, Loin pain, Muscle Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Stiff Shoulder, Simple Backache, Arthritis Muscular pain, Muscular Fatigue, Backache, Arthritis, Stiffness, Muscular Ache, Limp Languor, Arthritic Pain, Rheumatics, Soreness of Muscles, Minor pain associated with arthritis & rheumatism, Migraine, Capral Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), Pinched nerves, Caudia equina, Tendonitis (Tendinitis), Tennis Arm Syndrome (TAS), Bursitis ”

Pain relieving patches, muscular creams or jellies, liniment oils, muscular balms help to reduce the symptoms of the pains but not cure the causes of the diseases (aetiology / etiology). By knowing well all about body pains, allow us to take all the need actions to prevent from body pains, as well as to find and choose the most suitable treatments.

Body’s pains can be classified into:

[1].Location of Pains:

• Nerves pains: Trigeminal neuralgia, Occipital neuralgia, Postherpetic neuralgia, Sciatica, Pinched Nerves, Simple Backache, Limb languor, Capral Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), Caudia equina.
• Muscles pains: Muscle cramp, Muscular pain, Stiff neck, Strain, Chilblain, Bruises, Muscle fatique, Muscle stiffness, Stiff neck, Muscle pain, Muscular fatique, Stiffness, Muscular ache, Soreness of muscle,
• Joints / Ligament : Sprain,
• Joints / Tendon: Tendonitis (Tendinitis), Tennis Arm Syndrome (TAS),
• Joint / Others : Rheumatism, Stiff shoulder, Rheumatics, Minor pain associated with arthritis & rheumatism, Bursitis.
• Bones : Lumbago, Arthritis muscular pain, Backache, Arthritis, Limb languor, Arthritic pain, Minor pain associated with arthritis & rheumatism.
• Organ: Loin Pain, Migraine (circulatory disorder).

[2]. Cause of Pains :

• Physically: Muscular cramp, Muscle pain, Lumbago (Low back pain), Stiff neck, Trigeminal neuralgia, Occipital neuralgia, Sciatica, Sprain, Strain, Chilblain, Bruises, Muscle fatique, Muscle pain, Stiff shoulder, Simple backache, Muscular fatique, Backache, Stiffness, Muscular ache, Limb languor, Soreness of muscle, Migraine (Circulatory disorder), Capral Tunnel Syndrome, Pinched nerves, Caudia equina. Tendonitis (Tendinitis), Tennis Arm Syndrome (TAS).
• Infections: Muscle cramp (caused by bacteria Clostridium titani), Postherpetic neuralgia (caused by Herpes viruses), Rheumatism, Bursitis.
• Metabolism: Muscular Cramp, Muscle fatique, Muscular pain, Loin pain.
• Degeneration: Rheumatism, Arthritis muscular pain, Backache, Arthritis, Limb languor, Arthritic pain, Rheumatics, Minor pain associated with arthritis & rheumatism.

To be continued :

Trigeminal Neuralgia, Select the most suitable healing method.

Sciatica, a nerve pain potentially reduces the quality of life.

How to avoid Muscle Cramps, the most common muscle ache symptoms!
Stiff Neck, and How to cure it.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the most common nerve problem affecting person's hand

Aspartame and Health issues

whatever they are,
use with caution, never overuse than ADI !

Artificial sweeteners the low-calorie sweeteners control the blood glucose of diabetic persons, an excellent and acceptable sugar alternative for diabetics or those wishing to decrease their use of sucrose., artificial sweetener also prevent dental caries (do not promote tooth decay), stimulate the appetite, and may assist in weight management, but the bulk of evidence does not support this hypothesis, research demonstrates that artificial sweeteners have no effect on carbohydrate metabolism, short or long term blood glucose control, or insulin secretion.
Artificial sweeteners taste sweet like cane sugar without added the calories. artificial sweeteners, and their metabolic by-products and components, are not considered harmful to human beings at the levels normally used, not exit the acceptable daily intake (ADI), when used in the context of a healthful diet, artificial sweeteners are generally safe for consumption. There have been a number of health concerns related with these products, though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for artificial sweeteners involves a comprehensive analysis of scientific data to satisfy safety requirements. All "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) sweeteners have undergone extensive safety testing and have been carefully reviewed by the FDA.
What does "GRAS" mean?
"GRAS" is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to pre-market review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive. For example, substances whose use meets the definition of a pesticide, a dietary ingredient of a dietary supplement, a color additive, a new animal drug, or a substance approved for such use prior to September 6, 1958, are excluded from the definition of food additive. Sections 201(s) and 409 were enacted in 1958 as part of the Food Additives Amendment to the Act. While it is impracticable to list all ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe, FDA published a partial list of food ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe to aid the industry's understanding of what did not require approval.

Aspartame

N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl-ester

Non-nutritive sweetener / low calorie sweetener.

Aspartame which was discovered by accident in 1965, is a white, odorless powder, is a non caloric sweetener used in many diet soft drinks and food preparations, it has assessed its safety and an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) value was established, aspartame has 200 (two hundred) times sweeter than sugar, it contains four calories per gram, but due to its intense sweetness, with very low amount to be consumed, the amount energy of aspartame is negligible, aspartame is stable in dry powder form, at low temperature, it breaks down and loses its sweetness when stored in liquids at temperatures above 30°C, aspartame is not suitable in applications that require high temperatures, it will lose its sweetness when heated.
Aspartame was originally approved for dry goods (dry powder form) on July 26, 1974, but objections by neuroscience researcher in August 1974 caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 5, 1974 hold the approval until it was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. The FDA and other international regulatory bodies and numerous expert scientific groups have concluded that aspartame is safe for the general public, including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women, and children, persons with a rare hereditary disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU) must control their phenylalanine intake from all sources, including aspartame, these persons are diagnosed at birth by a blood test performed on all babies. Products sweetened with aspartame carry a statement on the label that they “This product contains phenylalanine“. Phenylalanine found in proteins, phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that we absorb from the protein we eat, humans require phenylalanine for protein metabolism and children also require it for growth, phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine in the body. tyrosine is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI value):
ADI is an estimate amount of a substance in foods or drinks that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without causing health risk to the consumer on the basis of all the known facts at the time of the evaluation, ADI is generally based on the results from animal toxicology studies, it is usually expressed in mg (milligrams) of the chemical per kilogram of body weight. ADIs are used for substances that have a reason to be found in food and the likes, include food additives, pesticide residues and veterinary drugs in foods, the FDA has set the ADI for aspartame is 50 mg/kg of body weight per day. acceptable daily intake of aspartame remained entirely safe-except for people with phenylketonuria / PKU.*)
Aspartame is synthesized from three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine (two essential amino acids), and methanol. Persons with the rare hereditary metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU), an inborn error of metabolism, must control their intake of phenylalanine from all sources, including aspartame, and therefore all U.S. products containing aspartame are labeled "This product contains phenylalanine."
*) What is phenylketonuria (PKU)
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare inherited disease that prevents the essential amino acid phenylalanine from being properly metabolized, an essential amino acid is required for normal growth, development, and body functioning and must be obtained from the diet, as the body cannot make it, Because those with PKU cannot metabolize phenylalanine, it can accumulate in the body and cause health problems including mental retardation.

Controversial issues on Aspartame:
Shortly after the widespread marketing of aspartame, there were a number of anecdotal reports of health effects, which some consumers related to their consumption of aspartame-containing products (Hull, 1999). Most of the earlier complaints and reports of aspartame-related adverse reactions were analysed by experts at the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta on behalf of the FDA, who concluded that there was no symptom complex that could be assigned to the ingestion of aspartame (Janssen and Van der Heijden, 1988; Tollefson, 1988).
A number of complaints were of a neurological or behavioural type (Tollefson, 1988) and these received special consideration, in part because experiments in animals have shown that high doses (1000mg/kg bw and above in rats) can alter the concentrations of neurotransmitters and their precursors within the central nervous system (Lajtha et al., 1994).
“ The excessive ingestion of aspartame raises the level of aspartic acid in blood plasma, it significantly raises the level of aspartate, aspartate act as neurotransmitters in the brain, transferring information from neuron to neuron, too much aspartate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells, this influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which destroy and kill the neural cells (neurons), causing serious chronic neurological disorders (excitatory amino acid damage), therefore aspartame is a excitotoxins ”.

Is aspartame safe?
Aspartame has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: aspartame is safe. In fact, the FDA Commissioner, upon approving aspartame, noted, “Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety.” In addition to FDA, aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization(WHO), the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission, and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries. The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe. In fact, the ADA’s 2004 updated position paper states, “a comprehensive review of the safety of aspartame has recently been published, the review covers previous publications as well as new information that support the safety of aspartame as a food additive and deny claims of its association with a range of health problems.
Is aspartame an "excitotoxin?
An excitotoxin is a substance that reportedly over-stimulates brain and nerve cells, critics have falsely claimed that ingestion of aspartame may result in high blood levels of aspartic acid, which would circulate to the brain and kill nerve cells, however, extensive scientific research has shown that it is not possible for a person ever to consume enough aspartame in the diet, and over long periods of time - to result in high blood levels of aspartic acid”.
Can people with diabetes consume aspartame?
The American Diabetes Association states that aspartame is a safe and useful sweetener for people with diabetes. Aspartame makes food taste sweet and does not contribute calories or raise blood sugar levels. About 90 percent of people with diabetes use aspartame-sweetened products. Foods and beverages sweetened with aspartame offer people with diabetes a much wider variety of products from which to choose and greater flexibility in budgeting their total carbohydrate intake. Thus, it can help them follow nutrition recommendations and still enjoy good-tasting foods.
Does aspartame affect blood sugar control in people with diabetes?
No. Research shows that aspartame does not affect short-term or long-term blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association states “Aspartame has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, a governmental agency that conducts thorough scientific review to determine foods that are safe for public consumption. (We) follow FDA recommendations and recognize there is no credible scientific evidence linking aspartame to any health-related problems for people with diabetes.”
Can women who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume aspartame?
The FDA and the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association agree that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can safely use aspartame. An American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition task force also has concluded that aspartame is safe for both the mother and developing baby. Aspartame is broken down in the body to the same components (phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol) eaten daily in common diets by pregnant and breast feeding women.

Other Artificial Sweeteners approved by FDA:

• Acesulfame K (Potassium)
• Saccharin
• Sucralose
• Neotame
• Sugar Alcohols (GRAS)

Other Artificial Sweeteners pending FDA approval:

• Cyclamate
• Stevioside (from Stevia reboudiana Bert, Familia Compositae)
• Alitame

References:

• FAQ about GRAS
• Artificial Sweetener
• Aspartame Infromation Center
• Scientific Facts on Aspartame
• Sweetpoison
  

Choosing suitable and safe Sunscreen / Sunblock Creams.

We need sun, but too much may cause sunburns,

accelerates aging, and causes skin cancer.

The best way to prevent from sun burn is cover-up and looking for shade!

Taking care of our skin from excessive sun exposure,

Follow the application instruction dose of the products precisely, don’t reduce it !

The best way to prevent from sun burn is cover up and looking for shade, especially during peak sunlight hours, between 10 a.m until 4 p.m. But as a matter of fact, there is no arguing about the fact that sunscreen creams / sunblock creams prevent painful sunburns, and they reduce the visible sign of aging, the best protection is achieved by application 15–30 minutes before exposure, followed by reapplication 15–30 minutes after the sun exposure begins.

Ultraviolet rays:

Infrared rays: wavelength: >780 nm.

Sunlight rays: wavelength: 400 – 780 nm.

Ultraviolet rays: wavelength: 100 – 400 nm.

X-rays: wavelength: <>

Ultraviolet rays (UV) exposure can be very harmful, or harmless, depending on

1. the type of UV,
2. the type of exposure,
3. the duration of exposure, and
4. the individual differences in response to UV.

The UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum encompasses a range from 400 nm (nanometers) through 100 nm, and is further sub-divided into four smaller regions:

1. UV-A (315 to 400 nm): Long wave UV, also known as "black light ", the major type of UV in sunlight, responsible for skin tanning, generally not harmful, used in medicine to treat certain skin disorders.
2. UV-B (280 to 315 nm): Medium-wave UV, a small, but dangerous part of sunlight. Most solar UV-B is absorbed by the diminishing atmospheric ozone layer. Prolonged exposure is responsible for some type of skin cancer, skin aging, and cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye).
3. UV-C (200 to 280 nm): Also known as "shortwave" UV, includes germicidal (253.7nm wavelength) UV used for air disinfection. Unintentional overexposure causes transient redness and eye irritation, but does NOT cause skin cancer or cataracts.
4. Vacuum UV (100 to 200 nm)

Ultraviolet-B rays (UVB rays) causes sunburn and skin cancer, ultraviolet-A rays are more plentiful than UVB rays, also less carcinogenic, nevertheless, good sunscreen cream products should protect skin against both types of ultraviolet rays (UVA-UVB rays), since both can contribute to skin cancer and photo-aging, usually sunscreen cream products that protect both ultraviolet rays are labeled broad-spectrum.

It should be noted that

relating to the application of sunscreen creams, we have to follow the application instructions precisely, don’t reduce its dose!

What is Sun protection factor (SPF)?

The SPF of a sunscreen is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness the protection of sunscreen against UV-B, the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn, the SPF indicates the time a person with sunscreen applied can be exposed to sunlight before getting sunburn compare to the time a person without sunscreen, someone who would burn after 12 minutes in the sun would expect to burn after 120 minutes when protected by / uses a sunscreen with SPF 10.

Type of Sunscreen / Sunblock Cream

[1]. Mineral Sunblock creams (Mineral blocks):

TiO₂ & ZnO

Unlike Chemical sunscreen creams which prevent sun burn by absorbing the sun’s rays, the mineral sunscreen cream will block the sun rays. Mineral based sunscreen creams form protective physical barrier on the skin that deflects both Ultraviolet-A (UVA) and Ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays.

The most commonly used minerals for sunscreen (Sunblock) cream are Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and Zinc oxide (ZnO). The different of the mineral based sunscreen and the chemical based sunscreen is the usage of the mineral based sunscreen will left a thin opaque white mark layer on the skin. In order to make Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide sunscreen transparent, the manufacturers using smaller particles of the mineral ingredients, by micronization process to reduce the particle size, which is called nanoparticles (nanometer particles), nanoparticles are mineral particles that have been fragmented to size below 100 nanometers, the micronization process itself is called nanotechnology, nanoparticle mineral sunscreen cream when applied to the skin are less visible. It should be noted that, the term micronized (makes micron particles) does not always contains nanoparticles, the size of 1 micron (μm) particles equal with one millionth of a meter, while 1000 nanometer (nm) particles equal with 1 micron particles, so 1 nanometer particle equal with one billionth of a meter (m).

The so-called nanoparticles are of most concern, it is unclear whether or not they are being absorbed through the skin, nano-particles have a greater potential to penetrate the skin dermis into the bloodstream, the consequences of which are unknown.

If we do not convince, the safety way we can take is avoiding mineral sunscreen products containing nanoparticles, caution also should be made to avoid applying nanoparticles sunscreen cream to cuts, wounds and abrasions (damage areas of the skin)!!!

Maximum concentration used:

1. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂): 25 % and no limit in Japan,
   
2. Zinc oxide (ZnO): 25 % in USA, 20 % in Australia, 25 % in EU particle size >100 nm, no limit in Japan.

[2]. Chemical Sunscreen creams (Chemical blocks):

The Chemical Sunscreen creams allow the sun’s rays to penetrate the skin, and the active ingredients the synthetic chemical compounds absorb the radiation of ultraviolet rays (UVA & UVB), prevent it from burning or damaging the skin.

Avobenzone / Butyl-Methoxydibenzoylmethane

Avobenzone is oil soluble, is one of the most common UVA-protective active ingredients used in Sunscreen cream, it absorbs the full spectrum of UVA rays, absorbs ultraviolet light over a wider range of wavelengths than many other organic chemical sunscreen agents used in many commercial preparations marketed as broad spectrum sunscreens creams, it has an absorption maximum of 357 nm, frankly speaking, the protection activity of Avobenzone is unclear, if it is not stabilized with photostabilizer, Avobenzone has a tendency to break down under sunlight, causes not effective anymore, Maximum concentration used: 3 % in USA, 5 % in European Union Countries (EC), 10 % in Japan.

Benzophenon (Diphenylmethanon)

Benzophenon may cause irritation and rashes in many users, and moreover, Benzophenon appears to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body, that means Benzophenon behaves like estrogen hormone, this chemical sunscreen may disrupt user’s endocrine system, as Benzophenon more readily to be absorbed by the skin compares to other sunscreen ingredients, the use of Benzophenon in sunscreen cream products is particularly concerning.

Maximum concentration used:

Ecamsule / Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid.

Similar to Avobenzone Ecamsule is a UVA-protective sunscreen active ingredient, filter out UVA rays to prevent UV-related signs of aging, it is known for its excellent photostability, Ecamsule was approved by the FDA in 2006, Maximum contration used: 10 %

Padimate-O / Octyldimethyl-PABA

Padimate-O is derivative of PABA / para-aminobenzoic-acid ( PABA is also a standard ingredient in sunscreen product for years, but recently most of the manufacturers remove it from sunscreen cream formula, because PABA stains clothing and causes allergies in many users).

Padimate-O used in sunscreen cream formulations because it can effectively protect the skin from untraviolet-B rays (UVB_rays), which are known to cause sunburn and skin cancer, Padimate-O preventing direct DNA damage by UVB rays.

Maximum concentration used: 8 % in USA, Australia, and EC (maybe delisted), 10 % in Japan.

Other FDA approved UV-filter chemical sunscreen ingredients:

• p-Aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
• Cinoxate (2-Ethoxyethyl p-methoxycinnamate).
• Dioxybenzone (Benzophenone-8).
• Homosalate (Homomethyl salicylate), The salicylic acid portion of the molecule absorbs ultraviolet rays, protecting the skin from sunburn, sun damage. Maximum concentration used: 15 % in USA and Australia, 10 % in EC and Japan, 15 % in USA and Australia.
• Methyl anthranilate (Methyl-aminobenzoate).
• Octocrylene (3-diphenyl acrylic acid).
• Octyl-methoxycinnamate / 2-ethylhexyl-paramethoxycinnamate, Its primary use is in sunscreens and other cosmetics to absorb UV-B rays from the sun, protecting the skin from damage, Maximum concentration used: 7.5 % in USA, 10 % in EU and Australia, 20 % in Japan.
• Octyl salicylate (2-Ethylhexyl salicylate).
• Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3).
• Phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid.
• Sulisobenzone (2-Hydroxy-4-Methoxybenzophenone-5-sulfonic acid).
• Trolamine salicylate (Triethanolamine salicylate).