CHEMOPHOBIA ChemEd 2005 Vancouver, B.C.

CHEMOPOBIA A presentation by Dr. Penny Le Couteur Dean of Arts & Sciences Capilano College British Columbia Co-author of ‘Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History’

Are you getting enough oxygen? The truth is, most of us aren’t: it’s a fact that levels of atmospheric oxygen have declined due to toxic gases, auto exhausts, pesticides and various pollutants in our environment. The water we drink and the air we breathe has far less oxygen than the past generation. It’s estimated that the oxygen content of our atmosphere has dropped from 35 percent a few hundred years ago to its current level of only 21 percent today. from a full page ad in The North Shore News May 2005

OXYGEN by Nick Lane

“All substances are poisonous, there is none which is not a poison; the right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” Paracelsus cira 1538

VOODOO SCIENCE by Robert Park

The Great Myth of Chemophobia …. “Natural is good; man-made is bad”

Vitalism Original definition: “Belief in the existence of a living principle that is not a function or manifestation of matter” …….. The Pocket Oxford Dictionary Second wave definition: “Natural is good; man-made is bad” ….…. Penny Le Couteur Fredrick Wohler

It May Be Natural but You Are Just as Dead!

The Seven Most Deadly Chemical Compounds LD 50 mg/kg Botulinum toxin A3 x Tetanus toxin A5 x Diphtheria toxin3 x Dioxin *3 x Muscarine2 x Bufotoxin4 x Sarin *4 x 10 -1

The Best Chemists Can Do

Victor Yushchenko July 2004 December 2004

Muscarine - from mushrooms

Bufotoxin – from the common toad

Chemists’ Second Best

Strychine5 x mg/kg Soman *6 x Tabun *6 x Tubocurarine chloride7 x Rotenone3 Isoflurophate *4 Parathion *4 Aflatoxin B 1 10 Sodium cyanide *15 Solanine42 The Next Ten …. (most deadly)

Vitamin C Ascorbic acid

Other Variations of “Natural is good; man-made is bad” i)Synthetic chemicals were not around as man evolved so we haven’t had time to become resistant to them as we have to naturally occurring compounds. ii)Synthetic chemicals bioaccumulate in our bodies.

Chemicals in Food “We read the labels so you don’t have to. We want you to concentrate on how good the food tastes and not worry about words that you can’t pronounce” “We keep the chemicals out of your food” ….. Ads from “organic food” stores “We think your food tastes better without the flavor of preservatives”

Chemicals used to preserve food Chemical Used for Ascorbic acid Antioxidant/antimicrobial BHA Antioxidant Calcium propionate Mold inhibitor EDTA Antioxidant Sodium benzoate Microbial inhibitor BHT Antioxidant Sodium nitrite Microbial inhibitor in meat Sorbic acid Mold inhibitor in cheese

Sodium nitrite Risk: Cancer from nitrosamines Benefit: Prevents botulism in meats NO HCl  HNO 2 + Cl - HNO 2 + (CH 3 ) 2 NH  (CH 3 ) 2 NNO + H 2 O

Natural Toxins in Food CHEMICAL FOOD SOURCEHAZARD Allyl isothiocyanateBrown mustard, horseradish, garlic Tumors Benzo(α)pyreneBBQ/smoked meatsStomach cancers CyanidesBitter almonds, cashews, lima beans General toxicity NitrosoaminesCooked baconCancer EstragoleBasil, fennel, tarragon Tumors Glycyrrhizic acidLicoriceHypertension/heart HydrazinesRaw mushroomsCancer

Natural Toxins in Food – part 2 CHEMICALFOOD SOURCEHAZARD MyristicinNutmeg, parsley, dill, carrots, celery, pepper Hallucinations/liver damage/death Oxalic acidRhubarb, spinachKidney damage/death SaxitoxinShellfishParalysis/death SymphatineComfry plantTumors Tannins & tannic acid Black tea, coffee, cocoaCancers/ throat & mouth TetrodotoxinPuffer fishParalysis/death

Don’t worry, it’s organic Organic farming is a multi-dollar industry that relies on the public’s perception that organic food is more healthy There is little evidence to suggest that organic fruit and vegetables are any healthier than conventional produce. Some forms of organic farming may introduce natural toxins into consumers food. Chemistry World, June 2004

Two quotes “For the first time in human history, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.” “This statement is wrong: the vast bulk of chemicals that humans are exposed to are natural, and for every chemical some amount is dangerous.” …….Rachel Carson 1962 Naturalist, writer ….. Bruce Ames 1998 Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of California at Berkley

More quotes from Ames “The effort to eliminate synthetic pesticides because of unsubstantiated fears about residues in food will make fruits and vegetables more expensive, decrease consumption, and thus increase cancer rates. The level of synthetic pesticide residues are trivial in comparison to natural chemicals, and thus their potential for cancer causation is extremely low. “Out of 1000 chemicals found in a cup of coffee, 22 have been tested in animal cancer tests and of those 17 are carcinogens. There are 10 mg of known carcinogens in a cup of coffee and that’s more carcinogens than you’re likely to get from pesticide residues for a year.

THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST By Bjorn Lomborg

Causes of Cancer

Lipstick in my ! Re: LEAD IN LIPSTICK Even lipstick isn’t safe anymore… what’s next? Brands don’t mean everything. Recently a brand called “Red Earth” decreased their price from $67 to $9.90. It contained lead. Lead is a chemical which causes cancer. The brands which contain lead are: xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx The higher the lead content, the greater the chance for causing cancer. After doing a test on lipsticks, it was found xxx lipstick contained the most amount of lead. If your lipstick stays longer, it is because of the higher content of lead. Here is a test you can do yourself: 1. Put some lipstick on your hand. 2. Use a gold ring to scratch on the lipstick. 3. If the lipstick changes colour to black then you know the lipstick contains lead. Please send this information to your girlfriends, wives and family members.

VANITY, VITALITY AND VIRILITY by John Emsley Lipstick composition 5% dye 10% TiO 2 40% oil 20% wax 25% emollient

From John Emsley’s Postcript Cancer (from synthetic chemicals) is a risk, but the risk may be so low as to be worth ignoring. * There is no such thing as the ‘cocktail effect’, as applied to chemicals. * Synthetic chemicals are rather feeble endocrine disrupters compared with the hormone mimics that plants produce. We come into this world with a wonderful built-in detoxifying system that protects us against thousands of natural toxins every day. Current analytical methods enable us to detect extremely low concentrations of chemicals.

Cosmetics Cinnamon Citrus Angelica Almond extract Clove Bergamot Cornstarch Fennel Geranium Lavender Lemon balm Lime Papaya Peppermint Rose Thyme Witch hazel Wintergreen

DDT

References “Oxygen: The Molecule that made the World” Nick Lane, Oxford University Press, Oxford “Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud” Robert Park, Oxford University Press, Oxford “The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World” Bj Ø rn Lomborg, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge “Vanity, Vitality, and Virility: the Science Behind the Products You Love to Buy” John Emsley, Oxford University Press, Oxford “The Extraordinary Chemistry of Ordinary Things” Carl H. Snyder, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (Canadian Gvt publication on 2002 cancer statistics) and “Napoleon’s Buttons: 17 Molecules that Changed History” Penny Le Couteur & Jay Burreson, Tarcher/Penguin, N.Y