Monday, October 13, 2003
Man-Made Rubber Chewing Gum...
Pete says not to worry about it. Pete says, Hey! You could probably cut off a piece of a new tire and chew on it and it wouldn't hurt you.
Somehow, though, if I were to hand Pete a piece of tire rubber to chew on, I doubt he'd take me up on the offer.
See, I happened to look at this synthetic rubber stuff recently and I found something interesting, and then a little investigation made it more so...
Where to start? Okay, the basics:
Synthetic rubber or SBR is composed mostly of Styrene and Butadiene. Hence the initials "SBR", or "Styrene Butadiene Rubber."
Butadiene is made from petroleum products, which are toxic. 1,3-Butadiene is most commonly the Butadiene in SBR. 1,3-Butadiene is carcinogenic. Here are some quotes, so you know we're being official:
1,3-Butadiene is a chemical made from the processing of petroleum. It is the 36th highest volume chemical produced in the United States. It is a colorless gas with a mild gasoline-like odor.SBR is used to make many things, such as CD jewel cases, bicycle helmets, tires, chewing gum, etc.
This chemical has been found in at least 7 of 1,416 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that 1,3-butadiene may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen.
(You can view the source by clicking on this: LINK).
What? Oh, you caught that:
SBR synthetic rubber is often an ingredient in chewing gum.
That's right. You're chewing gum? Then there's a good chance you're chewing man-made rubber. Sample quote:
Now many gum companies use a synthetic, food-grade version of the same rubber that goes into truck tires! This polymer is a mixture of styrene and butadiene and is abbreviated SBR.Of course, you're not going to see "SBR" on the list of ingredients on a package of gum. That would be too easy. Instead, you'll see the generic-sounding "gum base," which in many cases is SBR. Chewing gum = Sugar + gum base + flavorings. We'll pass on discussing the "flavorings" today...
(The source is here: LINK.)
(And, for good measure, here's one more source listing SBR in chewing gum: LINK.)
Okay, before we get all crazy here and I get sued by a huge company like Goodyear or Ameripol Synpol, I must explain that, technically, the SBR used in chewing gun is a "food grade" SBR.
For example, Goodyear calls most of their SBRs by the trade name "Plioflex." But, perhaps to make it sound more palatable, they call their "food grade" SBR "Pliogum" (Here is another source LINK.)
So, the SBR used in chewing gum is "food grade" and is approved by the FDA. And, while 1,3-butadiene is a well-known carcinogen, I can find no documentation saying that the Butadiene in food grade SBR is specifically 1,3-butadiene (or is specifically not 1,3-butadiene.)
But here's what I don't like anyway: ANY Butadiene is a petroleum product. Are petroleum products toxic? Don't believe me when you can click on this easy LINK.
Now Pete, who is in the Rubber Industry (although not in a technical role) says maybe the Butadiene in chewing gum is somehow "bound" and so is maybe non-toxic. Or maybe it evaporates too quickly to have an effect, as most health problems from Butadiene are caused from inhalation of its gaseous form. And, after all, the FDA approves it. But while the FDA is often a notorious pain-in-the-ass to food producers, the FDA is also notoriously ineffective. I'm not going to link for this one, as you can quite easily go to Google and search for "FDA ineffective" yourself (and please do the same for the EPA while you're there!) Without a profit motive or pressure from publicity, I trust the FDA about as much as I trust the average Tammany Hall-esque politican; Jim Traficant*, if you will (although most all politicians are close to Traficant's level, otherwise they'd never survive in politics in the first place.)
BUT, I am unable to specifically indicate the probability of SBR synthetic rubber in chewing gum being carcinogenic or, at the very least, unhealthy, without risking a lawsuit from a huuuuuge company. So, technically, I am not doing so.
But, healthy or not, would you like to chew on a hunk of tire? I'm betting Pete doesn't, when I bring one in for him next week. It just seems a bit icky to me...
(And I guess my general point is, WHAT THE HELL ELSE ARE THEY GETTING AWAY WITH PUTTING IN OUR FOOD? "Sodium Silica Aluminate" comes to mind, used as an "anti-caking agent" in almost all salt [to keep the salt from sticking together, like those grains of rice in restaurant salt-shakers]: Here is the source LINK! 'Course, aluminum is also in deoderants, sunscreen, skin care products, etc etc...)
~
*(On an entertaining, if slightly off-topic, side note of which you might already be aware, former-congressman Traficant, who is serving an 8-year prison sentence for Racketeering, Bribery, and Tax Evasion, had the gall to try to run for President out of his prison cell anyway! Heh! Unmitigated Gall Makes the Political World Go 'Round! And the Business World as well. So, um...
WATCH OUT FOR UNMITIGATED GALL!)
Obligatory reference: "Soylent... Green... IS PEOPLE!"
10/13/2003 03:59:00 PM
