poison Archives

CDC Report – E cigarettes Linked to Poison

A troubling report states that in February, there were 215 poison center calls involving e-cigarettes, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That’s compared to one per month in September 2010.

And 51% of those calls involved children 5 and under, officials said.

Since not all poisonings get reported, the CDC said the total number of cases is likely even higher.

Nicotine is a drug, and in its concentrated liquid form, poison experts warn it is also significantly toxic, even in small doses. E-cigarettes, which are not required to be childproof, feature flavors like spearmint, banana and bubble gum, making them appealing to kids.

“What’s attractive to kids: It’s the smell. It’s the scent. It’s the color,” said Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Center. “A kid’s not going to know the difference between a poison and something they can drink.”

Aspartame: Sweet Poison

There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption ranging from abdominal pain to migraines, dizziness and hives.

Aspartame is a popular sugar substitute that can be found in diet soda drinks, chewing gum, fruit spreads and sugar-free products to name a few. It is also known by the brand names Sweet One, NutraSweet and Spoonful. The components of aspartame can lead to a number of health problems and the side effects can occur gradually, can be immediate, or can be acute reactions.

There is a seemingly endless list of side effects from aspartame ingestion. Adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame include:

Visual:

Blindness in one or both eyes, decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision, pain in one or both eyes, decreased tears, trouble with contact lenses, and bulging eyes

Ear:

Tinnitus – ringing or buzzing sound, severe intolerance of noise and marked hearing impairment

Neurologic:

Epileptic seizures, headaches, migraines, dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, severe drowsiness and sleepiness, paresthesia or numbness of the limbs, severe slurring of speech, severe hyperactivity, restless legs, atypical facial pain and severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric:

Severe depression, irritability, aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia and phobias

Chest:

Palpitations, tachycardia, shortness of breath and new onset high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal:

Nausea, diarrhea, blood in stools, abdominal pain, and pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies:

Itching without a rash, lip and mouth reactions, hives, and aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic:

Loss of control of diabetes, menstrual changes, marked thinning or loss of hair, marked weight loss, gradual weight gain, aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and severe PMS

To keep yourself safe from contracting ‘artificial sweetener syndrome,’ it is suggested that you stop taking all products containing this chemical.