Secret Agent
© 2002-2003 Teresa Kellerman
There is a chemical agent in certain products
that are widely available on the shelves of stores all over the country, an
agent that has the following properties:
1)
It is toxic: It is a hazardous
material that at certain doses can cause damage to body organs, including the
brain. At very high doses, it can be lethal.
2)
It is carcinogenic. It is known to
cause cancer in humans. It is thought to be responsible for approximately
3% of all cancer deaths.
3)
It is teratogenic. It is a known
human teratogen that causes birth defects in babies whose mothers consumed this
chemical during pregnancy
This secret agent is C2H5OH, which is
the substance’s chemical formula, having two parts carbon, one part oxygen, and
6 parts hydrogen. I’ll refer to it as Agent CHOH. It is a solvent
that dissolves easily in water or oil. It is a water-based chemical and
can be found in certain beverages sold in this country. When this
chemical agent is consumed, it breaks down into Acetaldehyde, which is also
toxic, especially to the liver.
Agent CHOH is used as a fuel agent. It
is a colorless fluid that is lighter than water. Agent CHOH is used
industrially as a liquid propellant and is highly flammable. It is listed
in various safety manuals such as the Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals
and Carcinogens, Sittig, 1985.
When I told my son about Agent CHOH, he was
astounded. He asked how long I had known about this agent being in
consumer products, and if anyone else knew about this. I told him that
the manufacturers of the consumer products that contain this agent do indeed
know about the toxic properties and its risk to humans. He wanted to know
why it is being sold to people if it is dangerous. Good question.
If a chemical agent that is a toxin, a
carcinogen, and a teratogen were found in all bottles of apple cider, it would
take the FDA no time at all to have all bottles of apple cider removed from
store shelves immediately.
This chemical can be produced from sugar
cane, corn, and various other grains, and can be manufactured by combining C2H4
together with H2O. It is not really a secret agent. It is well known by
everyone. This chemical is a drug in the class of psychoactive drugs,
those that cause changes in the function of the brain. If you have not
already guessed, Agent CHOH is ethanol, the type of alcohol that is found in
beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is a direct cause of 100,000 deaths each
year, and causes birth defects and neurological deficits in more than 50,000
babies born each year in the U.S. Alcohol is our number one health
problem, our leading drug problem, a major cause of economic hardship, and is a
leading factor in crime, suicide, domestic violence, unplanned pregnancies, and
child abuse and neglect.
I am still trying to figure out how to
explain to my son why this dangerous chemical is so widely used. He just
doesn’t understand. My son has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
"FAS
represents the largest environmental cause of behavioral teratogenesis yet discovered
and, perhaps, the largest single environmental cause that will ever be
discovered." [Riley, E.P. and C.V.
Vorhees. (1986) Handbook of behavioral teratology. Plenum, New York, p. 13]
References:
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism No. 21 PH 345 July 1993
National
Toxicology Program at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
JAMA,
Vol. 281, pp. 1106-1109, Mar. 24/31, 1999
Center
for Science in the Public Interest Bulletin, May 2000
Further reading: http://www.jrussellshealth.com/alccanc.html
Teresa Kellerman is President of the FAS Community Resource Center in Tucson, Arizona, and is available for presentations by contacting her through her website: http://www.fasstar.com