Everything you’re dying to know about formalin
If there’s one thing you probably already know about formalin (or formaldehyde), it is that it’s used to preserve (embalm) human corpses. That’s the cold truth and nothing but. Fact is, formaldehyde is found in a wide variety of products that we use in our everyday lives: cosmetics, nail polish, shampoo, soap, antiperspirant/deodorant, mouthwash, shaving cream, bath oil, household cleaner, disinfectant, medication, root canal preparation, paper products, building materials, paint, and the list goes on and on.
Formalin is also used on fish as a parasiticide. And according to Virgil Fleming, a goat farmer in Florida who runs a veterinary supply business, the USDA/FDA allow formalin in limited concentrations in feeds (grains) for cows to produce dairy products that are high in polyunsaturated fats (the heart-healthy fats).
Whether in its gaseous (formaldehyde) or liquid (formalin) form, it is one of the strongest disinfectants known to man. Bacteria can’t thrive in its presence — now you know why embalmed corpses last so long.
A burning warning: Formaldehyde is released in smoke from burning wood, coal, charcoal, kerosene.
A noxious gas, it must be kept in a sealed container in a well-ventilated area and should be handled only with protective clothing like gloves.
A suspected human carcinogen (producing or inciting cancer), formalin is banned by the European Union for use in cosmetics. In
With formalin hogging today’s headlines and scaring people to death after our Bureau of Food and Drugs banned the White Rabbit Creamy Candy (which you may have loved and indulged yourself with as a child), among other food products from China, Dr. Angel S. Respicio Jr., nutrition adviser, The Sleeplab at Hawaii, Medical Center-West, tells us everything we’re dying to know about formalin in this interview:
Philippine STAR: What is formalin?
DR. ANGEL S. RESPICIO JR.: Formaldehyde is made of a single carbon atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The Formaldehyde Council website states that all organic life forms (bacteria, plants, fish, dogs, cats, and humans) produce formaldehyde. The average person produces about 1.5 ounces of formaldehyde each day as part of normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in human blood at a low steady state concentration of approximately one-two parts per million (PPM). It does not accumulate in the environment or within plants and animals or people as it quickly breaks down in the presence of sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. The air we breathe contains 1-68 parts per billion (PPB) of formaldehyde.
The formaldehyde for industrial use is a highly toxic colorless gas which is very irritating when inhaled at concentrations below one part per million (PPM). It is commonly stored as liquid by adding methanol as stabilizer. This liquid form is now called formalin. Formalin usually has 30 to 50 percent formaldehyde.
Why is formalin used in processed food?
It is “useful to the food manufacturers” as a disinfectant as it kills most bacteria and fungi (including spores). For this reason, it is used in processed foods to prevent proliferation of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi), thereby increasing their shelf life.
What are the other preservatives used in processed food?
Other preservatives used are calcium propionate, sodium nitrite, sodium, nitrate, sulphite, disodium EDTA. Formalin and the preservatives mentioned above are considered harmful because they act as free radicals that lead to oxidative stress, which has been implicated in a growing list of diseases from cataracts to cancer.
Oxidative stress is fast becoming the nutritional and medical buzzword for the 21st century. Health-conscious people should take steps to protect themselves against the ravages of free radicals, the active criminals in oxidative stress, according to Stephen Byrnes, ND. That’s why we take antioxidants or eat foods rich in antioxidants for protection.
Are there safe preservatives?
The traditional natural and therefore safe preservatives are salt, sugar, and vinegar — if not used excessively. Other safe preservatives are citric and ascorbic acid. But food manufacturers who are unscrupulous would resort to the easiest method of food preservation with the highest profit.
Tell us more about oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress occurs when the available supply of the body’s antioxidants is insufficient to handle and neutralize free radicals of different types. The result is massive cell damage that can result in cellular mutations, tissue breakdown, and immune compromise.
How do we avoid this?
The diet is a major source of free radical stressors with processed or highly heated oils as main offenders. To be healthy, avoid as much as you can the following: commercial vegetable oils like canola, corn oil, soybean oil (cold pressed or expeller pressed vegetable oils are okay), margarine or shortening, excessive sugar intake of any form or color, artificial food colorings and flavorings, smog, alcohol, cigarette smoke, chlorinated drinking water, pesticides, radiation, cleaning fluids, mothballs, heavy metals like cadmium and lead, and preservatives like formalin, nitrites, nitrates, sulphites, etc.
Even psychological and emotional stress can contribute to oxidative stress. Heightened oxidative stress has also been observed in athletes after intensive workouts due to the physical stress placed on the body. Physical and emotional stress prompt the release of endogenous cortisol, an adrenal hormone that reduces inflammation but also supresses the immune system.
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