While brushing my teeth this morning, i happened to glance at the back of my tube of Colgate, only to see the following warning:
Well, WTF? Which of the many funny-sounding ingredients in toothpaste is likely to result in my demise? And just how much “more than used for brushing” would i have to swallow to be in serious trouble?
It’s the fluoride that can be toxic in large doses. Here is the MSDS for one type of fluoride toothpaste.
If it is of interest, I heard Dick Gregory speak at a local library for Black History Month. He carries the box that a tube of Crest came in with him and reads off the warning, more-or-less making out that this is proof that cotporate America is out to kill us all.
From what I read somewhere, normal toothpaste contains antifreeze. The antidote to antifreeze is alcohol (bonehead of the day award-although I don’t know how easy that would be to find in the archive).
However, at the base of the tube a stripes. a black stripe means manufactured from petroleum products and is the most harmful. red is next. Blue and green are the other end and indacate a product made of natural substances and pose no consumption risk. And then there are countries like Russia who use odd colours like grey, which have no meaning whatsoever because they are not bound to follow international norms yet but want to fit in.
Sorry, heard this word of mouth, so can’t give a better source.
Arturas
You (or your source) is confusing polyethylene glycol (PEG) which is a common
food additive, with the similar-sounding antifreeze additive ethylene glycol.
here’s a summary of the safety data for polyethylene glycol:
Potential Health Effects, Polyethylene glycol:
Inhalation: No adverse health effects expected from inhalation. (May be a mechanical irritant.)
Ingestion: Large doses of the lower molecular weight products may cause gastro-intestinal upset.
Skin Contact: No adverse effects expected.
Eye Contact: No adverse effects expected.
Chronic Exposure: No information found.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions: Damaged skin.
Pretty tame stuff. Now, let’s look at Ethylene glycol:
Eye: May cause moderate eye irritation.
Skin: May cause skin irritation. Low hazard for usual industrial handling.
Ingestion: May cause nausea and vomiting.
Toxicity follows 3-stage progression.
(1) involves central nervous system effects including paralysis of
eye muscles, convulsions, and coma. Metabolic acidosis and
cerebral swelling may also occur.
(2) involves cardiopulmonary system with symptoms of
hypertension, rapid heart beat, and possible cardiac failure.
(3) involves severe kidney abnormalities including possible renal
failure.
Inhalation: May cause respiratory tract irritation. Heated or misted substance
may cause headache, irregular eye movements, and possible
coma.
Chronic: May cause kidney injury.
Ethylene glycol itself isn’t per se toxic. However, when it is metabolized by a certain enzyme, a toxic metabolite is formed. By drinking a large amount of alcohol, the enzyme is literally swamped with ethanol and cannot react with the ethylene glycol, which is exreted through other mechanisms. This is why you hear of desperate winos checking into emergency rooms and claiming they just drank antifreeze.
Bizz
Previous thread from two weeks ago: Dangers of Toothpaste
White toothpaste dries up zits & makes a great silver cleaner. Draw your own conclusions…
Bizzwire: Thanks for an interesting correction.
[anecdotal]
I have heard from numerous people who claim to have themselves, or that their buddies have, taken a “toothpaste overdose” to get a day off while doing national service. It gave them a slight belly ache, and raised their temperature enough to earn them a “sick day”.
[/anecdotal]
Thanks for your responses, everyone. I’ll be a bit more careful in the bathroom from now on!
And, neuroman, thanks for the link. I did a search of Cecil’s columns, but forgot to do a search of the actual message boards.