Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb12/nanoparticlesHarmful.html

[font face=Times,Times New Roman,Serif]Feb. 16, 2012

[font size=5]Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health[/font]

By Anne Ju

[font size=3]Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new Cornell research warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.

A research collaboration led by Michael Shuler, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Chemical Engineering and the James and Marsha McCormick Chair of Biomedical Engineering, studied how large doses of polystyrene nanoparticles -- a common, FDA-approved material found in substances from food additives to vitamins -- affected how well chickens absorbed iron, an essential nutrient, into their cells.

The results were reported online Feb. 12 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

According to the study, high-intensity, short-term exposure to the particles initially blocked iron absorption, whereas longer-term exposure caused intestinal cell structures to change, allowing for a compensating uptick in iron absorption.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.3

[saras]

1. Another obvious stupid train on the way...

Well, nanoparticles have a huge surface area/mass ratio, so they're really reactive. Even inert stuff like polystyrene when spread out nicely will react occasionally. And they pick up stuff, that reacts with each other, in incredibly complex unstudied ways. They may even function like enzymes, making unlikely reactions happen by holding molecules in the right physical configuration.

So let's let 'em loose in the wild in massive quantities, and see if anything happens.

We'll spend probably the next century studying the side effects of nanoparticles. And at the end, they'll say "That was dumb. Why did they do that?"

[snagglepuss]

2. I read an article that kids are highly exposed to them because of the

amount of titanium dioxide kids consume. TD is a nanoparticle is in stuff like marshmallows,cake icing and candies.

[Former_DU_Member]

3. Damn.... didn't know.

http://www.naturalnews.com/022194.html
A salad may be a little boring without a dressing like Ken's Fat Free Ranch Dressing which includes titanium dioxide (an artificial color, or sunscreen, depending on use), preservatives, and the ingredient seemingly mandatory in all ranch dressings: monosodium glutamate.

Once again, as is typical with the fast food industry, they took a simple thing like chicken, and added a long list of ingredients.


http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=726566
About TITANIUM DIOXIDE (sunscreen grade): Titanium dioxide has a long history of use as a sunscreen agent. Nano TiO2 offers greater sun protection than larger titanium particles. Comparatively little is known regarding potential health effect ... read more

Synonym(s): TITANIUM DIOXIDE, MICRONIZED TITANIUM DIOXIDE; MICROTIO2; NANO TIO2; NANO TITANIUM DIOXIDE; TITANIUM DIOXIDE (NANO)


http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C2878.html
Harmful if swallowed. May cause irritation. Avoid breathing vapors, or dusts. Use with adequate ventilation. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, and clothes. Wash thoroughly after handling. Keep container closed.

FIRST AID: SKIN: Wash exposed area with soap and water. If irritation persists, seek medical attention.

EYES: Wash eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting lids occasionally. Seek Medical Aid. INHALATION: Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen

INGESTION: If swallowed, induce vomiting immediately after giving two glasses of water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.