Tag: Health hazards

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), while ethylene gas is a permitted ripening agent for fruit, the use of carbide gas is strictly prohibited due to potential health hazards. This critical distinction is key to understanding the safety of commercially ripened bananas and protecting your health.

According to a Northwestern University study, a juice-only diet for even a few days can cause changes in gut bacteria associated with inflammation and cognitive decline. While often marketed as a quick way to lose weight and "detoxify," a juice diet comes with significant drawbacks that many people overlook.

A 2019 study published in the National Institutes of Health demonstrated a significant increase in aluminum content in food baked in aluminum foil, especially with acidic ingredients. This highlights why avoid aluminum foil in certain cooking scenarios is a growing consideration for home cooks concerned about their health and the environment.

Approximately 8 million tons of peanut shells are produced globally each year as agricultural waste. Despite being fibrous, many people wonder, “Is peanut shell good for health?” The truth is, while they contain fiber, eating peanut shells is not recommended for humans due to their indigestible nature and potential health risks.

A Material Safety Data Sheet for sodium carbonate explicitly labels the chemical as harmful if swallowed. Despite its deceptively benign-sounding name, soda ash is not an edible household product and can cause significant harm if consumed, particularly in concentrated amounts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances causes an estimated 600 million people to fall ill each year. The potential toxicity of food adulteration is a serious public health threat that compromises the safety, quality, and nutritional value of food products worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe drinking water contributes to over 800,000 deaths annually, often linked to the risks posed by contaminated, standing water. This highlights a crucial distinction: while clean, bottled still water is perfectly safe, the real danger lies in stagnant water and is why still water is so bad for you when it's left untreated.

Ingesting calcium oxide (quicklime) causes severe chemical burns to the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. The highly corrosive nature of calcium oxide means that consuming it in water is exceptionally hazardous, and should always be avoided.

According to a 2023 case study, a patient experienced severe internal damage after accidental exposure to nitric acid, underscoring its danger. This highlights a critical public health distinction, as the corrosive chemical nitric acid is often confused with nitric oxide, the body's beneficial signaling molecule that supports circulation and performance.

The human body requires phosphorus as an essential mineral for biological functions, but this is a different form than elemental red phosphorus, a toxic industrial chemical with no beneficial role in human health. In fact, exposure to red phosphorus poses serious health risks, particularly due to the potential presence of its much more hazardous white allotrope as an impurity.