Oxirane and Cosmetics

Ethylene oxide ( Oxirane ) with a slight sweet odor  which is a raw material for the manufacture of ploysorbate 20 and polyethylene glycol which is less toxic.

Oxirane is a very toxic gas which is carcinogenic , mutagenic  and anaesthetic . It also cause skin allergy.

However, oxirane is used as an anti- freeze in production of poly- ethylenes.

in the production of polyester andpolyethylene terephthalate (PET – raw material for plastic bottles), liquid coolants and solvents.

 Polyethyleneglycols are used in perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, paint thinners and plasticizers. 

Ethylene glycol ethers are part of brake fluids, detergents, solvents, lacquers and paints. Other products of ethylene oxide. Ethanolamines are used in the manufacture of soap and detergents and for purification of natural gas. 

 

Ethoxylates are reaction products of ethylene oxide with higher alcohols, acids or amines. They are used in the manufacture of detergents, surfactants, emulsifiers and dispersants.

 It is one of the best sterilizer used in healthcare chemical industries for the reason, it inhibits the growth of micro organisms ( acts as a disinfectant ) and it completely washes them out in high concentration.

Ethylene oxide acts more strongly against bacteria, especially gram-positive bacteria, than against yeast and fungi. The disinfectant effect of ethylene oxide is similar to that of sterilization by heat, but because of limited penetration, it affects only the surface. The Sterility Assurance Level, after a certain specified exposure to ethylene oxide is 10⁻⁶, meaning that the chance of finding a single bacterium is below 1 per million.

 

ethylene oxide irritates mucous membranes of the nose and throat; higher contents cause damage to the trachea and bronchi, progressing into the partial collapse of the lungs. High concentrations can cause pulmonary edema and damage the cardiovascular system; the damaging effect of ethylene oxide may occur only after 72 hours after exposure. The maximum content of ethylene oxide in the air according to the U.S. standards  is 1.8 mg/m³.NIOSH has determined that the Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health level (IDLH) is 800 ppm.

Ethylene oxide causes acute poisoning, accompanied by the following symptoms: slight heartbeat, muscle twitching, flushing, headache, diminished hearing, acidosis, vomiting, dizziness, transient loss of consciousness and a sweet taste in the mouth. Acute intoxication is accompanied by a strong throbbing headache, dizziness, difficulty in speech and walking, sleep disturbance, pain in the legs, weakness, stiffness, sweating, increased muscular irritability, transient spasm of retinal vessels, enlargement of the liver and suppression of its antitoxic functions.

Ethylene oxide easily penetrates through the clothing and footwear, causing skin irritation and dermatitis with the formation of blisters, fever and leukocytosis

Ethylene oxide is toxic by inhalation. Symptoms of overexposure include headache and dizziness, progressing with increasing exposure to convulsions, seizure and coma. It is also an irritant to skin and the respiratory tract, and inhaling the vapors may cause the lungs to fill with fluid several hours after exposure.

Ethylene oxide is usually stored as a pressurized or refrigerated liquid. At room temperature and pressure, it rapidly evaporates, potentially causing frostbite in cases of skin exposure. Laboratory animals exposed to ethylene oxide for their entire lives have had a higher incidence of liver cancer. However, studies on human beings who have worked with ethylene oxide for extended periods and may have experienced low doses during that time have found no increase in cancer risk. Chronic ethylene oxide exposure may increase the risk of cataracts in humans.

In animals, ethylene oxide can cause numerous reproductive effects, including mutations and a higher rate of miscarriages. Its reproductive effects on humans have not been well studied, but it is considered probable that ethylene oxide exposure has similar effects on human reproduction.

A chemical compound is a chemical substance consisting of chemically bonded chemical elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. For example, water (H2O) is a compound consisting of two hydrogen atoms bonded to every oxygen atom.

 Breast Cancer

 Scientists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) studied breast cancer incidence in 7,576 women exposed to ethylene oxide while working in commercial sterilization facilities. They found an increased incidence of breast cancer among these women in direct proportion to their cumulative exposure to ethylene oxide (Steenland, 2003). Although there are contradictory data in the recent literature, several other reports support the finding that exposure to ethylene oxide is associated with increased risk for breast cancer in women (Adam, 2005).

 Baby Cosmetics

 The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has cancelled Johnson and Johnson's (J&J) licence for manufacturing cosmetics, following complaints of carcinogenic substances residue in its talcum powder for infants.

- Ref : Wiki and Web resources ( Based on the news published on thehindubusinessline.com ]

Rumours on Recharge Cards and Skin Cancer

A viral is spreading in facebook and trending in twitter that states :

 'Cancer-ATTENTION..............​ .....!! !!!!!! Medical research unit of US has found a new cancer in human beings caused by 'silver nitro-oxide'.....so whenever we buy mobile recharge cards,they should not be scratched by our finger nails....coz they contain 'silver nitro-oxide coating ......which can cause skin cancer.... ....copy n paste the status and spread awareness..May God help us!!'

First thing we should learn is that there is no such compound called Nitro Oxide , But there  

is other oxides of Nitrogen such as Nitrous oxide, Nitric Oxide, 

Nitrogen Di Oxide etc;

 Nitric Oxide is also known as Laughing Gas , which produce 

nuerotoxicity through  the  development of Olney’s lesions which is damage to the posterior 

cingulate and retrospenial cortices of the brain .

Recharge cards are made of Latex coating inks which are less harmful which is 

used in textile coloring as well .

Scratch coupons are made of a mixture of UV inks as 2 steps

1 ) A substrate covered by a thick layer of UV ink coating

 

2 ) The above substrate is printed with a scratch off 

black UV ink which is further

Used for printing names with another UV color ink.

       

UV inks are essentially a mixture of colored monomers

and oligomers (the individual 

chemical units that eventually form 'polymers' ) and reaction 'photo-initiators' that become 

 active when exposed to UV radiation. The monomers 

and oligomers form a viscous liquid, 

thus serving simultaneously as the 'pigment' and 'solvent' of a conventional ink; they do not 

need an organic solvent as a fluid base, and do not 'dry' in air like typical solvent-based inks. 

On exposure to UV light, the initiators set off the polymerization reaction, rapidly cross-linking.

The monomers and oligomers into a solid 'plastic' polymer, in a process known as 'curing'. 

This polymerization process also inspired the alternative naming of UV inks as 'latex inks'. 

There is no involvement of Nitrogen/ Nitric compounds in these reactions and not 

hence related with Skin Cancer. 

The above hoax messages are created and shared for publicity .

There is no such medical reports or evidence to prove that and those are internet 

junks that should not be reposted.  

References : quora.com

 

NMR spectroscopy Alkenes

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy, is a research technique that exploits the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei to determine physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained. It relies on the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance and can provide detailed information about the structure, dynamics, reaction state, and chemical environment of molecules.
Most frequently, NMR spectroscopy is used by chemists and biochemists to investigate the properties of organic molecules, though it is applicable to any kind of sample that contains nuclei possessing spin. Suitable samples range from small compounds analyzed with 1-dimensional proton or carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy to large proteins or nucleic acids using 3 or 4-dimensional techniques. The impact of NMR spectroscopy on the sciences has been substantial because of the range of information and the diversity of samples, including solutions and solids.

When placed in a magnetic field, NMR active nuclei (such as ¹H or ¹³C) absorb electromagnetic radiation at a frequency characteristic of the isotope. The resonant frequency, energy of the absorption, and the intensity of the signal are proportional to the strength of the magnetic field. For example, in a 21 Tesla magnetic field, protons resonate at 900 MHz. It is common to refer to a 21 T magnet as a 900 MHz magnet, although different nuclei resonate at a different frequency at this field strength in proportion to their nuclear magnetic moments.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) of Alkenes 

 In ¹H NMR spectrum, hydrogen atoms bound to a carbon consisting of a double bond (these hydrogens are called alkenyl hydrogens) are typically found in low field of the NMR spectrum, which is the left side, and the hydrogens are said to be deshielded. The cause for this is due to the movement of the electrons in the pi bond of the carbon-carbon double bond.

 

Alkenyl hydrogens create an external magnetic field that is perpendicular to the double bond axis and causes the electrons in the pi bond to enter a circular motion (shown in red). The circular motion actually reinforces the external field at the edge of the double bond on both sides of the pi bond but creates a local field (shown in purple and green) that opposes the external field in the center of the double bond. Because of this pulling force within the pi bond across the double bond which reinforces the regions occupied by alkenyl hydrogens, the alkenyl hydrogens are strongly deshielded.

Additionally, alkenyl hydrogens do not have to be all chemical-shift equivalent, and when they aren't, coupling will be observed which is the different peaks in an MNR spectrum.

When alkynel hydrogen atoms are are not symmetrically substituted on a double bonded carbon, the hydrogens of a cis and trans isomer will yield a different shift on the NMR spectrum. Because the coupling constant is smaller in a cis isomer than in a trans isomer, the NMR spectrums of the two isomers are different conveying the hydrogens in a cis isomer to be slightly more upfield to-- the right of the spectrum-- and trans hydrogens to be more downfield to the left.                                                  

Sometimes coupling will lead to very complicated patterns as a result of the J values that vary widely due to the relationship between the hydrogens involved. When this occurs, information can still be derived to determine the structure of a molecule by looking at the number of signals, the chemical shift of each one, integration, and splitting patterns similarly to identifying alkane NMR. 

A new fabrication method created by MIT chemists -- as simple as drawing a line on a sheet of paper -- may overcome that obstacle. MIT postdoc Katherine Mirica has designed a new type of pencil lead in which graphite is replaced with a compressed powder of carbon nanotubes. The lead, which can be used with a regular mechanical pencil, can inscribe sensors on any paper surface.
The sensor, described in the journal Angewandte Chemie, detects minute amounts of ammonia gas, an industrial hazard. Timothy Swager, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry and leader of the research team, says the sensors could be adapted to detect nearly any type of gas.

Carbon nanotubes are sheets of carbon atoms rolled into cylinders that allow electrons to flow without hindrance. Such materials have been shown to be effective sensors for many gases, which bind to the nanotubes and impede electron flow. However, creating these sensors requires dissolving nanotubes in a solvent such as dichlorobenzene, using a process that can be hazardous and unreliable.
Swager and Mirica set out to create a solvent-free fabrication method based on paper. Inspired by pencils on her desk, Mirica had the idea to compress carbon nanotubes into a graphite-like material that could substitute for pencil lead.
To create sensors using their pencil, the researchers draw a line of carbon nanotubes on a sheet of paper imprinted with small electrodes made of gold. They then apply an electrical current and measure the current as it flows through the carbon nanotube strip, which acts as a resistor. If the current is altered, it means gas has bound to the carbon nanotubes.
The researchers tested their device on several different types of paper, and found that the best response came with sensors drawn on smoother papers. They also found that the sensors give consistent results even when the marks aren't uniform.
Two major advantages of the technique are that it is inexpensive and the "pencil lead" is extremely stable, Swager says. "You can't imagine a more stable formulation. The molecules are immobilized," he says.
The new sensor could prove useful for a variety of applications, says Zhenan Bao, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University. "I can already think of many ways this technique can be extended to build carbon nanotube devices," says Bao, who was not part of the research team. "Compared to other typical techniques, such as spin coating, dip coating or inkjet printing, I am impressed with the good reproducibility of sensing response they were able to get."
Sensors for any gas
In this study, the researchers focused on pure carbon nanotubes, but they are now working on tailoring the sensors to detect a wide range of gases. Selectivity can be altered by adding metal atoms to the nanotube walls, or by wrapping polymers or other materials around the tubes.
One gas the researchers are particularly interested in is ethylene, which would be useful for monitoring the ripeness of fruit as it is shipped and stored. The team is also pursuing sensors for sulfur compounds, which might prove helpful for detecting natural gas leaks.
The research was funded by the Army Research Office through MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and a National Institutes of Health fellowship to Mirica.

courtesy : Sciencedaily.com 

Fe Poisoning (Iron Toxicity)

Iron is a vital mineral in the human body.  Iron overload, however, is deadly.  Most physicians believe it is rare and mainly hereditary.  In fact, it is far more common and more dangerous than many people imagine.
Conditions in which iron can be a factor include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.  Others include chronic infections, hair loss, hypothyroidism, hyperactive behavior, violence and many more conditions.

 Iron has three major roles in the body:

It helps transport oxygen to the cells from the lungs.  Hemoglobin is the main iron-bearing substance in the body.  It carries oxygen to all the body cells.  Any problems in this system and a person becomes very tired and will die if it is not corrected.  This is the single most critical function of iron in our bodies.
 
Iron is needed for energy production in every cell.  Energy production requires the conversion of sugars, fats and proteins into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the form that the body uses for all its activities and healing as well.  Iron, as well as copper, are required for energy production.  Low energy will result in cancer eventually in every person with iron problems.
 
Catalase Production.  Catalase is an enzyme that travels around the body and picks up free oxygen atoms called free radicals.  This protects the body from free radical damage, a very important function.
 
Other Roles.  Iron is also involved in the sense of direction.  Human beings and the animals, especially birds, use the magnetic properties of iron, manganese and other magnetic elements to navigate the globe with amazing accuracy.  Small deposits of these ferrous metals in the brain are used like compasses to direct the creature on its way.

HOW IRON DAMAGES THE BODY

 1. Iron Replaces Other Vital Minerals Causing Enzyme Dysfunction.  Understanding this requires knowledge of the concept of preferred minerals.  It basically states that all enzymes in the body have ideally a certain mineral in each binding site that allows the enzyme to function most efficiently.

If, however, the preferred mineral is not available, the enzyme will accept a less preferred mineral in its place to allow the enzyme to function at all.

Iron replaces other vital minerals such as zinc, copper manganese, and many others in hundreds or even thousands of enzyme binding sites.  This cause the enzymes to malfunction and leads to many physical and emotional symptoms.

The problem of mineral replacement is made worse by the fact that all minerals compete for absorption.  Iron enjoys a selective advantage.  That is, it is selectively absorbed because of its essential role in oxygen transfer.  This mechanism of iron absorption definitely works against a person who is eating white flour, lots of red meat, and perhaps smokes or drinks a little alcohol, for example.  Adding orange juice at breakfast makes it worse, because vitamin C enhances iron absorption greatly.
The person becomes greatly saturated with iron at the expense of other trace elements that are already deficient in the food supply.



2. Inflammation.  When iron replaces other elements in the body, in addition to enzyme malfunction, the next most important problem it causes is inflammation.

This occurs because iron attracts oxygen directly to it.  Then, when it contacts delicate body tissues, the singlet oxygen molecules, termed free radicals, detach and destroy body tissues.  This mechanism is called oxidant damage or free radical damage, a potent cause of inflammation.

Oxidant damage contributes to many other problems as well.  These include insufficient repair of the organs and tissues to meet the needs of the body.  This, in turn, can cause every disorder imaginable from heart disease to cancer to hyperactive behavior.

Aging is though to be caused by oxidant damage and it may be a direct effect of iron toxicity.  This is rarely diagnosed, however, unless one happens to undergo special blood tests or a liver biopsy for iron.



3. Toxic Iron Oxide.  Iron oxide is formed when iron combines with several atoms of oxygen at once.  It is biologically useless and quite toxic as well



4. Bacterial Growth Stimulant.  Due to its properties as an excellent oxygen transporter, iron tends to stimulate the growth of common bacteria.  This is a significant cause for chronic infections in our population.



5. Cellular Poison (Cancer).  Imbalances related to iron reduce the output of cellular energy in the body.  This leads directly to cancer, which is basically a parasite on the human body.  It uses an inferior energy generating system based on direct conversion of sugar to energy without the many intermediary steps associated with the Krebs and glycolysis cycles.



Iron Synergists.  Certain substances and situations favor iron accumulation and absorption.  These invariably make iron poisoning worse.

For example, vitamin C and other acidic substances like tomatoes can increase iron absorption.  Copper can be an iron synergist as well, although it is also an iron antagonist in the intestinal tract.  This means it competes with iron for absorption in the intestines.

Copper can build up in the body to mask the presence of iron.  This often occurs and is revealed on some hair tissue mineral analyses.

ORGAN AND TISSUE EFFECTS

 
 Organs that may be most affected by iron are the pancreas, liver, kidneys, brain, heart, arteries, and joints.  This is not so much because the mineral deposits there.  In fact, more iron is in the liver than elsewhere, but so are many other minerals deposited there.  It is more about the resonance or response of the organ to the energy or structure, more properly, of the iron molecule or combinations that iron forms with oxygen and other elements.



The liver and iron.  The liver can be saturated with iron, and in Chinese medicine the liver is the seat of iron.  It is associated with an attitude of anger and rage.  Iron also accumulates in the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with anger and rage.

However, it can accumulate everywhere in the brain and is certainly one cause of dementia related to aging, since iron accumulates with age, as a general rule.  As it does so, it replaces other vital minerals such as chromium, molybdenum, selenium, germanium and others in vital organs, glands and tissues.

 Symptoms

  These are extremely numerous.  I will list the most important of these as they will serve as a guide for other researchers to investigate.  In fact, this entire article is designed to spur investigation of problems associated with iron.

Physical Ailments Associated With Iron Poisoning.

1) Diabetes.  This is known in the medical literature and is sometimes referred to as bronze diabetes.  However, we feel that researchers will learn that more than this is due to iron overload, in subtle ways.  Iron replaces many minerals that can give rise to symptoms of diabetes.

2. Cancer.  This is another subtle situation in which researchers will find, we believe, that many cases of cancer are indirectly caused by or related to iron overload from non-hereditary causes.

3. Nervous System Diseases.  These may include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral abnormalities, including violence, anti-social behavior, ADHD, autistic characteristics and other.  A bad temper is often related to iron toxicity, as mentioned earlier.

4. Hypertension And All Cardiac Conditions.  Iron has an ability to enhance the hardness of the arteries, as does cadmium.  So the blood pressure rises, without any obvious cause.  Arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, cardiac stenosis, cardiomyopathy and others are included in the list of cardiac difficulties that are known to occur with hemosiderosis and hemochromatosis and can occur with acquired iron overload as well.

5. Kidney Problems of Many Types.  Iron can accumulate here, causing hypertension, renal failure and other difficulties.

6. Inflammatory Symptoms.  These include a wide range of disorders and syndromes, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome to lupus, myelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis and others.

7. It may also include milder, minor forms of inflammation such as random aches and pains, premenstrual syndrome, headache syndromes and so many other inflammatory conditions that may occur in children and adults. 

Non-Utilisied Ferrum

The iron is present somewhere in the body but is unable to be utilized properly.  Iron is called biounavailable.

If it cannot be bound properly.  Iron must be bound to a protein molecule such as ferritin, metallothionein or other, if it is to be transported properly throughout the body.  If it is not bound correctly, it builds up in the tissues and cannot be utilized in many chemical reactions.

If it is in a valence that cannot be used.  For example, iron can have a valence of +2, +3, or under rare circumstances, +4.  It must be in the correct one to be used properly.  Copper, manganese and other minerals are involved in the conversion of iron, for example from the ferrous, or +2 form to the ferric or +3.

Other complex biochemical reasons.  For example, iron may be so bound up with other protein carriers that it cannot be freed up for utilization in other areas.  Chelating agents do just that for therapeutic purposes.  However, it can happen for other reasons as well that are pathological.

Iron may be biounavailable if it cannot be absorbed.  This occurs with some malabsorption syndromes that affect the upper intestinal area where iron is mainly absorbed.  This subject is huge and beyond the scope of this article.  For example, if one eats a lot of manganese in a food or even a vitamin pill, it will inhibit the absorption of iron to some degree.  This makes the iron less bioavailable that is in the food or drink.  Eating iron with protein or vitamin C, for example, increases its bioavailability by increasing its rate of absorption.  

Biounavailable Iron Effects On The Adrenal Glands or the Nervous System    

 Biounavailable iron appears to irritate the adrenal glands or perhaps other parts of the sympathetic nervous system.  This appears to have the effect of pushing up the sodium readings on hair tissue mineral analyses when the test is performed without washing the hair at the laboratory.

This seems to be an adaptive mechanism to help boost adrenal activity and maintain the sodium level in the tissues, which is very important.  However, it is a toxic mechanism that does not produce health.  Manganese, aluminum and perhaps other minerals, especially in a biounavailable and toxic form such as oxides, appear to do the same thing.  These are called the ‘friends’ or ‘amigos’ for this reason, and are often found together in the bodies of slow oxidizers, in particular.  Slow oxidizers have exhausted adrenals and are the ones most needing a boost, perhaps.  This topic is also discussed in an article entitled Iron, Manganese and Aluminum.   

Methods for elimination

Iron is difficult for the human body to eliminate.  This may be because iron is such an essential mineral.  The body conserves iron carefully, rather than risk excreting too much.  Humans often had to survive on low-iron vegetable diets for months, so iron conservation was essential.

Today we have the opposite situation in many parts of the world.  White flour in enormous amounts, along with red meat and iron-rich vegetables are in abundance in most developed nations.  Also, excessive iron in the air and water supplies are common.  The only methods I am aware of to remove excess iron from the body are:



1. Nutritional balancing programs.

2. Phlebotomy or bleeding (removing blood).

3. Iron chelating drugs and other substances.

Medical Methods

• Bloodletting

• Chelating Drugs

  

For the best results with iron toxicity, we find it is best to avoid certain approaches.  Supplementing with too many tablets or other potions can spoil the result because they confuse the body.  Doctors are often anxious to use all the “best” remedies and overdo. Simpler meals and simple nutritional supplement regimens are always best.  Give no more than 20 pills three times daily.

Also, as mentioned above, be careful with vitamin C, which tends to increase iron absorption.

Ref :drlwilson.com