Istituto B. Ramazzini - Cooperativa Sociale Onlus

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment deadline May 5 for science re aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity -- folic acid protects: Stephen Fox: Rich Murray 2009.03.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.htm
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1571

http://www.opednews.com/populum/diarypage.php?did=12485#

March 11, 2009 at 23:10:52

California Opens Proposition 65 File, Could Lead to aspartame State Suits re: Carcinogenic Properties

Diary Entry by Stephen Fox

California takes the first step towards leading to Big Aspartame suits, like the Big Tobacco suits, based on proven carcinogenic properties of that sweetener; similar suits are ongoing against Whole Foods for a different proven carcinogeni 2,4,5-Chlorade in their line of "organic" skin products.

This notice marks the start of a 60-day public comment period. The comment period ends May 5, 2009. Interested parties may provide comment on the extent of the scientific evidence pertaining to the selection of any of these chemicals for possible preparation of hazard identification materials. OEHHA will forward the comments to the CIC members prior to their meeting.

The CIC meeting will be held in the Sierra Hearing Room of the California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters building located at 1001 I Street, Sacramento. The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will last until all business is conducted. The agenda for the meeting will be provided in a future public notice published in advance of the meeting.

Copies of the summaries of available scientific information on the chemicals and related attachments are available on OEHHA’s web site above, or may be requested by calling (916) 445-6900. It is requested, but not required, that written comments and supporting documentation be transmitted via email addressed to coshita@oehha.ca.gov .

Comments may also be delivered in triplicate in person or by courier to:

Cynthia Oshita
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Proposition 65 Implementation
P.O. Box 4010 1001 I Street, 19th floor
Sacramento, California 95812-4010
FAX (916) 323-8803 http://www.oehha.org/

In order to be considered by the CIC Members, written comments must be received at OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

This is their background sheet for aspartame/methanol/formaldehyde/diketopiperazine, only in PDF form:

http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/state_listing/prioritization_notices/pdf/Aspartame.pdf

Chemical for Office of Environmental
CIC Consultation: Health Hazard Assessment
Aspartame pages 1-3 March 2009

Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is found in more than 6,000 products used by more than 200 million people worldwide.
Typical consumption is 2-3 mg/kg per day, but can be much higher.
Aspartame passed the animal data screen, underwent a preliminary toxicological evaluation, and is being brought to the Carcinogen Identification Committee for consultation.
This is a compilation of relevant studies identified during the preliminary toxicological evaluation.

Epidemiological data

• Ecological studies

o Time-related studies of brain tumor incidence and consumption of aspartame: Roberts (1991), Olney et al. (1996)

• Cohort study

o Prospective cohort study of aspartame consumption and hematopoietic and brain malignancies: Lim et al. (2006)

• Case-control studies

o Integrated analysis of several Italian case-control studies of various cancers and aspartame consumption: Gallus et al. (2007)

Animal carcinogenicity data

• Long-term diet studies in rats

o Two-year studies in male and female Charles River rats: Hazelton Laboratories (1973)
o Studies in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (eight weeks old at start of treatment, fed for life): Soffritti et al. (2005), Belpoggi et al. (2006), Soffritti et al. (2006)
o Transplacental plus entire lifetime exposure studies in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats: Soffritti et al. (2007)

Other relevant data

• Genotoxicity

o Review: Magnuson et al. (2007)

• Metabolism

o Aspartame metabolism to known carcinogens, including methanol and formaldehyde: Soffritti et al. (2006); Magnuson et al. (2007)

Reviews

• Magnuson et al. (2007)
• Soffritti et al. (2008)

References 1

1 Copies of these listed references, as either the abstract, the relevant sections of the publication, or the complete publication, have been provided to members of the Carcinogen Identification Committee.
These references have been provided in the order in which they are discussed in this document.

Belpoggi F, Soffritti M, Padovani M, Esposti DD, Lauriola M, Minardi F (2006). Results of long-term carcinogenicity bioassay on Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to aspartame administered in feed. Ann NY Acad Sci 1076:559-577.

Gallus S, Scotti L, Negri E, Talamini R, Franceschi S, Montella M, Giacosa A, Dal Maso L, La Vecchia C (2007). Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies. Ann Oncol 18:40-44.

Hazelton Laboratories, Inc. (1973). Two-year toxicity study in the rat, FINAL REPORT, submitted to Searle Laboratories.

Lim U, Subar AF, Mouw T, Hartge P, Morton LM, Stolzenberg-Solomon R, Campbell D, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A (2006). Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15(9):1654-1659.

Roberts HJ (1991). Does aspartame cause human brain cancer? J Advance Med 4(4):231-241.

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Esposti DD, Lambertini L (2005). Aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats. Eur J Oncol 10(2):107-116.

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Esposti DD, Lambertini L, Tibaldi E, Rigano A (2006). First experimental demonstration of the multipotential carcinogenic effects of aspartame administered in the feed to Sprague-Dawley rats. Environ Health Perspect 114(3):379-385.

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Tibaldi E, Esposti DD, Lauriola M (2007). Life-span exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases cancer effects in rats. Environ Health Prespect 115(9):1293-1297.

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Esposti DD, Falcioni L, Bua L (2008). Consequences of exposure to carcinogens beginning during developmental life. Basic Clinical Pharmacol Toxicol 102:118-124.

Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, Kroes RM, Marsh GM, Pariza MW, Spencer PS, Waddell WJ, Walker R, Williams GM (2007). Crit Review Toxicol 37:629-727.

Olney JW, Farber NB, Spitznagel E, Robins LN (1996). Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame? J Neuropath Experimental Neurol 56(1):1115-1123.
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formaldehyde, aspartame, and migraines, the first case series, Sharon E Jacob-Soo, Sarah A Stechschulte, UCSD, Dermatitis 2008 May: Rich Murray 2008.07.18
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm
Friday, July 18, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1553

High levels of folic acid, a safe, affordable vitamin in fruits and vegetables, largely prevents formaldehyde and formic acid toxicity in most people.

It is certain that high levels of aspartame use, above 2 liters daily for months and years, must lead to chronic formaldehyde-formic acid toxicity.

Fully 11 % of aspartame is methanol -- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 liters diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). The methanol is immediately released into the body after drinking.
Within hours, the liver turns much of the methanol into formaldehyde, and then much of that into formic acid, both of which in time are partially eliminated as carbon dioxide and water.

However, about 30 % of the methanol remains in the body as cumulative durable toxic metabolites of formaldehyde and formic acid -- 37 mg daily, a gram every month, accumulating in and affecting every tissue.

If only 10 % of the methanol is retained daily as formaldehyde, that would give 12 mg daily formaldehyde accumulation -- about 60 times more than the 0.2 mg from 10 % retention of the 2 mg EPA daily limit for formaldehyde in drinking water.

Bear in mind that the EPA limit for formaldehyde in drinking water is 1 ppm, or 2 mg daily for a typical daily consumption of 2 liters of water.

formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame, dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.01.30
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.htm
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1508

The FEMA trailers give about the same amount of formaldehyde and formic acid daily as from a quart of dark wine or liquor, or two quarts (6 12-oz cans) of aspartame diet soda, from their over 1 tenth gram methanol impurity (one part in 10,000), which the body quickly makes into formaldehyde and then formic acid -- enough to be the major cause of "morning after" alcohol hangovers.

Methanol and formaldehyde and formic acid also result from many fruits and vegetables, tobacco and wood smoke, heater and vehicle exhaust, household chemicals and cleaners, cosmetics, and new cars, drapes, carpets, furniture, particleboard, mobile homes, buildings, leather... so all these sources add up and interact with many other toxic chemicals.

opportunities re BA Magnuson, GA Burdock et al., Aspartame Safety Evaluation 2007 Sept., Critical Reviews in Toxicology:
Rich Murray 2008.07.11
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.htm
Friday, July 11, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1550

details on 6 epidemiological studies since 2004 on diet soda (mainly aspartame) correlations, as well as 14 other mainstream
studies on aspartame toxicity since summer 2005: Murray 2007.11.18

http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.htm
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1490

old tiger roars -- Woodrow C Monte, PhD -- aspartame causes many breast cancers, as ADH enzyme in breasts makes methanol from diet soda into carcinogenic formaldehyde -- same in dark wines and liquors, Fitness Life 2008 Jan.: Murray 2008.02.11
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm
Monday, February 11, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1517

role of formaldehyde, made by body from methanol from foods and aspartame, in steep increases in fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, multiple sclerosis, lupus, teen suicide, breast cancer, Nutrition Prof. Woodrow C. Monte, retired, Arizona State U., two reviews, 190 references supplied, Fitness Life, New Zealand
2007 Nov, Dec: Murray 2007.12.26
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.htm
Wednesday, December 26 2007
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1498

Monte WC., Is your Diet Sweetener killing you? Fitness Life. 2007 Nov; 33: 31-33.
Monte WC., A Deadly Experiment. Fitness Life. 2007 Dec; 34: 38-42.
Monte WC., Bittersweet: Aspartame Breast Cancer Link. Fitness Life. 2008 Feb; 34: 21-22.

Article 1 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review1.shtml
Article 2 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review2.shtml
Article 3 http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/review3.shtml

http://www.thetruthaboutstuff.com/articles.shtml 223 references with abstracts or full and partial texts cofactors re folic acid antagonist research include methanol (quickly turns into formaldehyde and then formic acid in humans) from tobacco and wood smoke, alcohol beverages, aspartame, demethylation of caffeine: Rich Murray 2008.12.01
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.htm
Monday, December 1, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1569
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/cmaj-met112408.php

Public release date: 1-Dec-2008
Contact: Kim Barnhardt kim.barnhardt@cma.ca
613-731-8610 x2224
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Maternal exposure to folic acid antagonists increases risks

Exposure to folic acid antagonists during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of placenta-mediated adverse outcomes such as preeclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction or fetal death reports a retrospective cohort study published in CMAJ
http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1263.pdf .

Folic acid antagonists include a broad range of drugs used to treat epilepsy, mood disorders, hypertension and infections. As
approximately 50% of pregnancies in industrialized countries like Canada are unplanned, there is a risk of unintended exposure to these medications......

methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ and aspartame ] is turned into neurotoxic formic acid, prevented by folic acid, re Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto, Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec. plain text: detailed biochemistry, CL Nie et al. 2007.07.18: Murray 2008.02.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm
Sunday, February 24, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1524
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Volume 31 Issue 12 Page 2114-2120, December 2007

Bhushan M. Kapur, b.kapur@utoronto.ca;
Arthur C. Vandenbroucke, PhD, FCACB
Yana Adamchik,
Denis C. Lehotay, dlehotay@health.gov.sk.ca;
Peter L. Carlen carlen@uhnres.utoronto.ca;
(2007) Formic Acid, a Novel Metabolite of Chronic Ethanol Abuse,
Causes Neurotoxicity, Which Is Prevented by Folic Acid
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (12), 2114-2120.
doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x

Abstract

Background:
Methanol is endogenously formed in the brain and is present as a congener in most alcoholic beverages.

Because ethanol is preferentially metabolized over methanol (MeOH) by alcohol dehydrogenase, it is not surprising that MeOH accumulates in the alcohol-abusing population.

This suggests that the alcohol-drinking population will have higher levels of MeOH's neurotoxic metabolite, formic acid (FA).

FA elimination is mediated by folic acid.

Neurotoxicity is a common result of chronic alcoholism.

This study shows for the first time that FA, found in chronic alcoholics, is neurotoxic and this toxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration.

Objective:
To determine if FA levels are higher in the alcohol-drinking population and to assess its neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal rat brain slice cultures.

Methods:
Serum and CSF FA was measured in samples from both ethanol abusing and control patients, who presented to a hospital emergency department.
[ CSF = Cerebral Spinal Fluid ]

FA's neurotoxicity and its reversibility by folic acid were assessed using organotypic rat brain hippocampal slice cultures using clinically relevant concentrations.

Results:
Serum FA levels in the alcoholics (mean ± SE: 0.416 +- 0.093 mmol/l, n = 23) were significantly higher than in controls (mean ± SE: 0.154 +- 0.009 mmol/l, n = 82) (p < 0.0002).

FA was not detected in the controls' CSF (n = 20), whereas it was >0.15 mmol/l in CSF of 3 of the 4 alcoholic cases.

Low doses of FA from 1 to 5 mmol/l added for 24, 48 or 72 hours to the rat brain slice cultures caused neuronal death as measured by propidium iodide staining.

When folic acid (1 umol/l) was added with the FA, neuronal death was prevented. [ umol = micromole ]

Conclusions:
Formic acid may be a significant factor in the neurotoxicity of ethanol abuse.

This neurotoxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration at a clinically relevant dose.

Key Words:
Formic Acid, Folic Acid, Methanol, Neurotoxicity, Alcoholism......

aspartame ban bill, with 22 supporting Representatives, approved by Hawaii House Health Committee -- next is House Finance Committee:
Stephen Fox: Rich Murray 2009.03.20
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.htm
Friday, March 20, 2009
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1570
___________________________________________________

"Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy peace, joy, and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively act upon evidence about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment."

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@comcast.net
505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505

http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive

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Posted 12:48

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PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company follow the lead of competitors Coca-Cola and Cargill in announcing their new sweetener made from the stevia plant. The trademarked PureVia will debut in a new PepsiCo beverage called 'SoBe Life' to be launched in Latin America, starting with Peru. The sweetener will be launched in the United States this autumn before expanding into drink and food products around the world. Coca-Cola and Cargill announced the launch of Truvia, a sweetener also made from the stevia plant, earlier in July. In May, Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant Company, submitted a notification and supporting scientific data to the FDA that the ingredient is generally recognized as safe for use in beverages, foods and tabletop sweeteners. PepsiCo intends to market PureVia in beverages and foods while Whole Earth Sweetener Company will market the brand as a tabletop sweetener. The stevia derived sweetener has yet to be approved for use as a food ingredient in Europe. The active sweetener in PureVia is Reb A, or rebiana, a purified component of the South American stevia plant, long known for its extraordinary sweetness. Stevia is approximately 200 times as sweet as sugar, and Reb A is the sweetest, purest part of the stevia leaf. Other forms of stevia, which typically are less pure than PureVia, are currently sold in the United States as dietary supplements and have been used for years by consumers in countries such as Brazil, Japan and South Korea. PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company have agreed to buy the natural sweetener from PureCircle, a leading supplier of pure Reb A, which also will have the exclusive license to market Reb A under the PureVia brand in certain categories. The global production of stevia leaves is estimated at about 40,000 metric tonnes, of which 80% is grown in China.
Source: FoodBev August 1, 2008.

See official PepsiCo press release

Posted 1:01

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From The Economist print edition July 10, 2008

The battle to replace sugar intensifies

THINGS have been stirring lately in the sugar business. This month Tate & Lyle, a European food giant known for Golden Syrup, its venerable brand of sugar syrup, sold its international sugar-trading arm; the move followed its disposal of its sugar businesses in the Americas. And US Sugar, America's largest sugarcane producer, may go out of business altogether and sell its land for $1.7 billion to the state of Florida, which plans to restore it to marshland. Several forces are at work: growing concern about obesity, alarming scientific reports about artificial sweeteners and soaring agricultural prices. Sales of sugar and sweeteners, collectively worth about $4 billion in America alone, have hit a wall. According to Mintel, a market-research firm, sales of white sugar fell by 16% in real terms between 2002 and 2006. Sales of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine, which had made successful inroads into the sugar market in recent years, are also in trouble. For a while it seemed that health worries over natural sugar products, and especially high-fructose corn syrup, heralded a bright future for artificial sweeteners. Between 2002 and 2006 sales of sugar substitutes shot up by 22% in real terms in America. But a spate of scientific studies has raised doubts about artificial sweeteners. Some studies have linked the chemically derived sweeteners to cancer in laboratory rats , and others claimed that such sweeteners, by "tricking" the brain without satisfying the body's cravings for sweet treats, may actually promote overeating. Whatever the scientific merit of those studies, consumers are more wary of such products than they used to be. Splenda, a sweetener produced by McNeil Nutritionals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, has done well by sidestepping both concerns over obesity and worries about "unnatural" sweeteners. Though it is made in the laboratory and is, technically, an artificial sweetener, the raw material is sugar molecules. McNeil duly marketed it under the slogan "Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar" and Splenda became the leading artificial sweetener in America. But Merisant, a rival maker of artificial sweeteners, sued McNeil, alleging that the slogan was inaccurate. The case was settled out of court last year. McNeil has modified its marketing to make clear Splenda is "not sugar". Another way to find a middle ground between natural sugar and artificial sweeteners is to blend the two, says Craig Petray, boss of NutraSweet, another sweetener company. In 2007 his firm established a joint venture with Domino Foods (the descendant of America's former sugar monopoly) and launched just such a blend, called Pure D'Lite. Blended sweeteners can taste better, and they are often cheaper than high-fructose corn syrup, especially since the recent spike in corn prices. The latest entrant in the sweetener market was unveiled in New York on July 9th by Cargill, an American agribusiness giant. Truvìa is a new zero-calorie sweetener developed in partnership with Coca-Cola, which has exclusive rights to its use in fizzy drinks. Cargill hopes the new product, which will launch nationwide in the autumn, will eventually top $200m in sales. Truvìas clever twist is that it is derived from stevia, a bush found in South America and Asia. This means that it is neither sugar, nor a purely artificial sweetener, but is instead what Cargill calls a "natural" zero-calorie sweetener. (In fact, Truvìa combines rebiana, a substance derived from stevia bushes, with erythritol, a kind of sugar alcohol found in fruits.) But caution may still be in order. The controversy around Splenda, says Marcelo Montero of Cargill, shows that "consumers are no fools." And NutraSweet's Mr Petray admits that "sugar is still the gold standard."

Posted 10:10

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Called "the People's car" by its manufacturer Tata Motors, the Nano is a compact car soon to be available in India at the incredibly low price of 100,000 rupees or $2,500. Following the production of 250,000 Nanos in the first year in India, additional lines are scheduled to open in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia.
The Nano is not a green, low-emissions vehicle. Although its nano-size means that it burns less fuel than larger cars, the low price point means that the sheer number of Nanos could drastically impact the environment. This scenario has been called a "nightmare"by Indian economist Rajendra Pachauri, the UN's top scientist on climate change. Others praise the Nano as having the potential to change life in rural India forever.
In a January 14th article, Slate Magazine framed the question as follows: "What happens when the laudable, currently fashionable movement to improve the environment comes directly into conflict with the equally laudable, equally fashionable movement to improve the lives of the poor?"
Even prior to the Nano, the Financial Times reported in January 2006 that "The Chinese car market, now the third-largest in the world, is expected to continue growing at about 15 per cent a year, with demand reaching 9m cars a year by the end of the decade. Yet at present only about 1.25 per cent of the population possesses a car. If car ownership reached the levels of the US, China would have more than 1 billion vehicles." These are not doomsday scenarios, but rather impending realities.
What do we know about atmospheric pollution and vehicle use?
Atmospheric pollution represents, above all in industrialized countries, one of the most important public health problems. It has been estimated that atmospheric pollution constitutes the main environmental risk factor and the eighth cause of death in Europe. It has also been reported that fine particulate matter in the urban environment causes about 100,000 deaths per year and, in particular, that each 10 μg/m3 elevation in PM2.5 is related with approximately an 8% increased risk of lung cancer mortality.
The Tata Nano will meet European emissions standards on exhaust. It should be noted however that EU exhaust emissions standards regulate the particles that make up smog, not CO2 emissions. Euro IV standards are more stringent than those currently in place for motorcycles and scooters, which comprise most of India's motorized traffic.However, in terms of fuel efficiency, two-wheeled transportation can get up to 80 km/liter, compared with the Nano’s 21 km/liter.
Long-term studies from the European Ramazzini Foundation and others have demonstrated the carcinogenic risk of gasoline, of some of its components, including additives, and of some of its exhausts. The introduction en mass of these substances in the developing world is of great concern from a public health perspective. The Nano is just another reason to promote scientific and industrial research aimed at producing low-emission vehicles and clean-fuel alternatives.

Posted 22:22

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