http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1096
MCS, pesticides, formaldehyde (from 11% methanol part of aspartame):
jrussellshealth.com: medicalnewstoday.com: Murray 2004.06.24 rmforall

[ Rich Murray: This quote applies very well to aspartame reactors. The
network of MCS authors and sites is constantly expanding. ]

http://www.jrussellshealth.com/chemsensintro.html
Jane Russel's Health Facts Chemical Sensitivities Introduction

June Russell 94 Oak Forest Circle, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901
434-974-6595 Fax: 434-974-1799 E-mail: russells@...

"Here are a few of the toxins that contribute to chemical "overload":
pesticides, secondhand smoke, alcohol, fresh paint, scented products and
perfumes, food preservatives and flavor enhancers, aerosols, tap water,
cosmetics, new carpets, petroleum products, formaldehyde, outdoor
pollutants, cleaning compounds, printing and office products.

The symptoms that may be manifested from these toxins can be any physical
and/or mental complaint; headaches, flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue,
dizziness, "brain fog," depression, anxiety, and even vision and hearing
problems. There are also other factors that seem to predispose individuals
to increased sensitivity to chemicals such as low thyroid, nutritional
deficiencies, and other stressors.

The classic patient who has developed chemical sensitivities has usually
been to a dozen or more specialists, has no definite diagnosis, and is often
given a tranquilizer and referred to a psychiatrist. Most are told the
symptoms are all in their heads, which can be partially true, as the
chemicals do affect their brains. If one is totally ignorant of the
biochemistry of detoxification, the victim seems to be a malingerer, faking
it, or in need of psychiatric help, says Sherry Rogers, M.D. (Dr. Rogers has
had MCS and now teaches advanced courses in Environmental Medicine. She is
also author of several books including "Tired or Toxic.") "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/?newsid=9681
We come into contact with more than 500 chemicals and toxic substances every
day. 19 Jun 2004 This article comes from June Russell's Health
Facts.

We are the first generation of people ever exposed to such an unprecedented
number of chemicals on a daily basis - there are now over 70,000 chemicals
commercially produced in the U.S., and the number is increasing. Not only do
we have "acceptable limits" of contaminants in our food, air and water, we
are constantly "upping the ante." We come into contact with more than 500
chemicals and toxic substances every day, and the Sierra Club tells us that
there are already approximately 200 chemicals in the average person's body
fat. It is not a question of if we are carrying a burden of toxic compounds,
but how much.

No young person alive today has been born without some in utero exposure to
synthetic chemicals that can disrupt development. Dr. Marion Moses in her
book, "Designer Poisons," says there is evidence to strongly suggest that
chemicals can affect the health and sexual functioning of offspring if
either parent has been exposed to toxic chemicals.

The toxins reaching the womb depends not only on what the mother takes in
during the pregnancy, but on the contaminants accumulated in her body up to
that point in her lifetime. Children are especially vulnerable to the
effects of chemicals because their neurological systems are still developing
and are more susceptible to permanent damage - one study suggests that lawn
sprays can cause a four-fold increase in cancer in children. Also chemicals
in school buildings can affect a child's attention span and mental
abilities.

We are creating new diseases symptoms that cannot be diagnosed. The National
Academy of Sciences estimates that 15% of the population has Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), however, physicians who practice environmental
medicine estimate that chemical sensitivity affects up to 50% of today's
population. The general public, the media and the government are now
recognizing MCS.

Chemical Sensitivity/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, sometimes called
Environmental Illness (EI), is a chronic condition marked by greatly
increased sensitivity when exposed to chemical substances, and thought to be
caused by short-term or chronic exposure to one or more chemicals. MCS is
often referred to as "chemical allergy" but the mechanism is not the same as
in traditional allergies to dust, animals and pollen.

The unfortunate paradox of environmental illness (or MCS) is that the same
biological and toxicological factors reside in lesser or greater degree in
all of us. The difference lies in constitutional genetic differences that
make the environmentally ill manifest chemical sensitivities first and then
succumb to malignancies, neurological, vascular, and other diseases, while
others will succumb to these same diseases, but not manifest chemical
sensitivities (National Library of Medicine's Toxicology Information, 1992).

Those with chemical sensitivities are like the "canaries in the mine," they
warn that certain substances are toxic for everyone. No one is immune, and
even a normal person can become chemically sensitive after a single exposure
to a particular chemical substance, especially if that person's body
detoxification pathways are overloaded or damaged from previous exposures.

Here are a few of the toxins that contribute to chemical "overload":
pesticides, secondhand smoke, alcohol, fresh paint, scented products and
perfumes, food preservatives and flavor enhancers, aerosols, tap water,
cosmetics, new carpets, petroleum products, formaldehyde, outdoor
pollutants, cleaning compounds, printing and office products.

The symptoms that may be manifested from these toxins can be any physical
and/or mental complaint; headaches, flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue,
dizziness, "brain fog," depression, anxiety, and even vision and hearing
problems. There are also other factors that seem to predispose individuals
to increased sensitivity to chemicals such as low thyroid, nutritional
deficiencies, and other stressors.

The classic patient who has developed chemical sensitivities has usually
been to a dozen or more specialists, has no definite diagnosis, and is often
given a tranquilizer and referred to a psychiatrist. Most are told the
symptoms are all in their heads, which can be partially true, as the
chemicals do affect their brains. If one is totally ignorant of the
biochemistry of detoxification, the victim seems to be a malingerer, faking
it, or in need of psychiatric help, says Sherry Rogers, M.D. (Dr. Rogers has
had MCS and now teaches advanced courses in Environmental Medicine. She is
also author of several books including "Tired or Toxic.")

Traditional allergists typically do not understand MCS, and most MCS people
poorly tolerate the preservatives used in the allergy shots.

Every time the MCS victim turns around it seems that he/she has developed
another ailment. These sufferers may be afraid to talk about these added
complaints with their doctor because the previous ailments are still a
mystery. There are less than 1,000 out of 100,000 physicians in the U.S. who
can diagnose and properly treat MCS. However, it is important for patients
to rule out other more traditional causes for their symptoms before assuming
that their problems are from MCS.

Drugs should be used only after all other possibilities have been ruled out,
for any prescribed medication can further overload an already ailing
system - - another chemical that can waste precious detoxification energy
and nutrients, says Dr. Rogers. Intolerance of medications is described
consistently in those who are chemically sensitive, and although some are
able to benefit from some medications, it should be undertaken with caution
and carefully monitored.

Because the total body burden of any environmental stressors is never the
same at any two moments, symptoms not only may fluctuate, but may be
inconsistent with exposure, therefore the standard "double-blind" studies
and repeated exposure trials are almost impossible to do. These responses
also cannot be tested in animals, for example, a rat has 6 times the level
of some detoxification enzymes, so the rat would not be harmed as easily as
a man. Symptoms resulting from exposure can be delayed for days and weeks,
which adds to the frustration when trying to find cause and effect.

Many chemicals and their residues build up in the body's tissues, others do
immediate damage and disappear, leaving no trace whatsoever ("Living Healthy
in a Toxic World," Steinman & Wisner, 1996 book). Although we cannot totally
avoid chemical exposure, our best protection is to keep our body's toxic
load to a minimum.

June Russell, who had MCS for 25 years, is a retired health educator,
researcher and writer. Vital Signs is a community health promotion column
sponsored by UVA Health System.

Sources:

"Tired or Toxic," Sherry Rogers, M.D., 1990 book. Dr. Rogers has had MCS, is
an expert on Environmental Illnesses and treats patients who have MCS. She
also lectures and teaches advanced courses in Environmental Illness.

[ http://www.prestigepublishing.com/about.htm
Sherry A Rogers, M.D., a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice,
a Fellow of the American College of Allergy and Immunology and a Diplomate
of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, has been in private
practice for over 26 years.

She is a lecture of yearly original scientific material, as well as advanced
courses for physicians. She was the keynote speaker for the international
symposium Indoor Air Quality 86 in which she described the office method for
testing chemical sensitivities.

She developed the Formaldehyde Spot Test and published her mold research in
three volumes of the ANNALS Of ALLERGY. She has published chemical testing
methods in the National Institutes of Health journal, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
PERSTECTIVES. She has published 17 scientific articles, 10 books, and was
the environmental medicine editor for INTERNAL MEDICINE WORLD REPORT.

She has lectured throughout China, Sweden, England, Canada, and Europe, as
well as the United States in indoor air symposia to physicians and the
public. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs and
writes monthly articles for health magazines, plus her own and other
newsletters covering all aspects of environmental illness.

Man has neglected one fundamental biological rule; to check and see if the
organism is adapting to its new environment. She says we are the first
generation to be exposed to such an unprecedented number of chemicals. The
work of detoxifying these causes serious deficiencies. This maladaptation in
turn has resulted in chronic disease. But disease is not a drug deficiency.
The common goal of her current research projects is that of helping people
adapt naturally to the 21st century and reverse chronic disease.

PRESTIGE PUBLISHING P.O. Box 3068 Syracuse, NY 13220
1 (800) 846-6687 (315) 455-7862

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/charles5.htm
interview with Sherry A. Rogers by Charles Polinquin

http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/w9394sherry.html

REFERENCES
1. For further information on what tests should be done, and how to
diagnose and treat, read Tired or Toxic? by S.A. Rogers, M.D., Prestige
Publishing, Box 3161, Syracuse, NY 13220. $17.95 plus $3.00 (U.S.) shipping
and handling. Also, for the physicians, all the scientific references and
biochemical explanations of the disease, as well as what blood tests to
order and patient examples, are also in Tired or Toxic?
2. Morrow, L.A., Callender, T., Lottenberg, S., Buchsbaum, M.S., Hodgson,
M.J., Robin, N., P.E.T. and Neurobehavioral Evidence of Tetrabromoethane
Encephalopathy, Journal of Neuropsychiatry, Vol 2, Issue 4, pp. 431-5, Fall,
1990.
3. Rogers, S.A., Zinc Deficiency as a Model for Developing Chemical
Sensitivity, International Clinical Nutrition Review, 10:1, 253, 1990.
4. Rogers, S.A., Magnesium Deficiency Masquerades as Diverse Symptoms,
ibid., 11:3, July, 1991.
5. Rogers, S.A., Chemical Sensitivity, Parts I, II, III, February-April,
1992, Internal Medicine World Report, 322-D Englishtown Road, Old Bridge, NJ
08857.

Environ Health Perspect. 1987 Dec;76: 195-8.
Diagnosing the tight building syndrome.
Rogers SA.
Northeast Center for Environmental Medicine, Syracuse, NY 13219.

Formaldehyde is but one of many chemicals capable of causing the tight
building syndrome or environmentally induced illness (EI).
The spectrum of symptoms it may induce includes attacks of headache,
flushing, laryngitis, dizziness, nausea, extreme weakness, arthralgia,
unwarranted depression, dysphonia, exhaustion, inability to think clearly,
arrhythmia or muscle spasms.
The nonspecificity of such symptoms can baffle physicians from many
specialties. Presented herein is a simple office method for demonstrating
that formaldehyde is among the etiologic agents triggering these symptoms.
The very symptoms that patients complain of can be provoked within minutes,
and subsequently abolished, with an intradermal injection of the appropriate
strength of formaldehyde.
This injection aids in convincing the patient of the cause of the symptoms
so he can initiate measures to bring his disease under control.
Publication Types: Case Reports PMID: 3447898 ]

"Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - A Survival Guide," Pamela Reed Gibson,
Ph.D., 2000, Associate Professor of Psychology at James Madison University,
in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Her book is based on the latest MCS research.

[ Pamela R Gibson (faculty) School of Psychology
JOHN 115 MSC 7401
office phone: +1 540 568 6195 e-mail: gibsonpr@...

http://www.lassentech.com/eiarti.html
Chemical Sensitivities: Patients' Views for Improved Access in a
Technological Society, by Jennifer Cheavens,Pamela Reed Gibson, Margaret L
Warren, Denise Pasquantino. James Madison University. Paper presented at the
Annual Virginia Women's Studies Association Conference: Women and
Information Technology at James Madison University, November 6, 1993. 9
pages.

Chemical Sensitivity/Chemical Injury, Life Impacts, by Pamela Reed Gibson,
Jennifer Cheavens, Margaret L. Warren; James Madison University. Paper
delivered at the American Psychological Association's conference:
Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women's Health: Creating an Agenda
for the 21st Century, May 12-14, 1994, Washington,D.C. This research was
supported in part by a James Madison University 1993 Faculty Summer Research
Grant. Correspondence should be addressed to Pam Gibson, James Madison
University, Department of Psychology, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. 14 pages.

Disability Due to Chemical Sensitivity: People, Controversies, Legalities,
by Colleen M. Crowley, Pamela Reed Gibson. James Madison University. Paper
delivered at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference
Psychology and Health, March 22-25, 1995. 11 pages.

Limitations and Thwarted Goals for Persons with Chemical Sensitivities, by
Pamela Reed Gibson, Margaret L. Warren, Denise Pasquantino, and Jennifer
Cheavens. James Madison University. Poster presented at the Annual Virginia
Women's Studies Association Conference: Women and Information Technology at
James Madison University. November 6, 1993. 8 pages.

Multiple chemical sensitivities/environmental illness: Invisible
disabilities, by P. Gibson, 1993. Women and Therapy, 14, 171-185. Also
printed as a chapter in M.E.Willmuth and L. Holcomb (Eds) 1994 Women with
Disabilities: Found Voices. NY: Haworth Press.

Social Support and Isolation in Women with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities,
by Jennifer Cheavens, Pamela Reed Gibson, Margaret L. Warren. James Madison
University. Paper presented at the First Annual Conference of the Southern
Regional Chapter of the Association for Women in Psychology, Hilton Head
South Carolina, October 28-30, 1994. 10 pages. ]

"Is This Your Child's World? How You Can Fix the Schools and Homes That Are
Making Your Children Sick," 1996 book, Doris J. Rapp, M.D., FAEM, FAAP,
FAAA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the State University of
New York at Buffalo, Board Certified in Environmental Medicine, Pediatrics,
and Pediatric Allergy.

[ http://www.drrapp.com/
http://www.drrapp.com/bio.html

Doris J. Rapp, M.D. . 1421 Colvin Blvd . Buffalo, New York 14223
Phone 716-875-0398 . Fax 716-875-5399 . Email drrappmd@...

Dr. Rapp is a board-certified environmental medical specialist and pediatric
allergist. She was a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the State
University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Rapp is the founder of the Practical
Allergy Foundation in Buffalo and is a past President of the American
Academy of Environmental Medicine. She is also the author of "Is This Your
Child's World?" a book to help identify substances which cause illness and
behavioral changes in children and adults, and for providing treatment
ideas. ]

"Our Stolen Future," by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson
Myers, a 1997 book, according to the Washington Post World, this book picked
up where "Silent Spring" left off.

[ http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/ comments3@...
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Authors/authors.htm

Dr. Theo Colborn is a senior scientist with the World Wildlife Fund-US
[ http://www.wwfus.org/about/contact.cfm ] and one of the world's leading
authorities on endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment. She
received her Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison
and speaks regularly to scientific groups, health officials and policy
makers. She lives and works in Washington DC.
In June 2000 Dr. Colborn was awarded the Blue Planet Prize. Established by
Japan's Asahi Glass Foundation at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,
the Blue Planet Prize recognizes outstanding scientific contributions to
global environmental conservation.

Dianne Dumanoski has reported on national and global environmental issues
for the Boston Globe and was the recipient of the prestigious Knight
Fellowship in Science Journalism at MIT. She lives outside Boston.

Reporter, editor and publisher of www.OurStolenFuture.org , Dr. John
Peterson Myers is Senior Advisor to the United Nations Foundation
(Washington, DC)
[ http://www.unfoundation.org/ ] and a Senior Fellow at Commonweal
(Bolinas, CA). [ http://www.commonweal.org/ commonweal@...
P.O. Box 316, Bolinas, CA 94924 (415) 868-0970 ]
From 1990-2002 he was director of the W. Alton Jones Foundation, a private
foundation supporting efforts to protect the global environment and to
prevent nuclear war.
[ W. Alton Jones Foundation (US)
WAJF 232 East High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902 U.S.A.
tel: 1 804/295-2134 fax: 1 804/295-1648
( http://readthehook.com/stories/2002/10/17/newsshygreenOffshootsWAlto.html
WAJF metamorphosed into three new funds:
Oak Hill Fund is the new philanthropy vehicle of W. Alton "Pete" Jones'
grandson, Bill Edgerton, an architect and Albemarle planning commissioner.
http://cybergrants.com/oakhillhome.html PO Box 1624 · Charlottesville, VA
22902
Blue Moon Foundation, headed by W. Alton Jones' daughter, Patricia Jones
Edgerton, and her daughter, Diane Edgerton Miller.
Edgerton Foundation, headed by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Brad Edgerton
and his wife Louise. )
He received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of California,
Berkeley, and lives near Charlottesville, Virginia. ]

"Living Healthy in a Toxic World: Simple Steps to Protect You and Your
Family from Everyday Chemicals, Poisons and Pollution," David Steinman & R.
Michael Wisner, a 1996 book. (Dr. Steinman was a former representative of
the public interest at the National Academy of Sciences, and author of a
1992 book, "Diet for a Poisoned Planet")
[ http://www.organicanews.com/news/article.cfm?story_id=43
The Breast Cancer Prevention Program
By Samuel Epstein, M.D., and David Steinman, with Suzanne LeVert; reivewed
by Susan Hussey New York: Macmillan, 1997. 416 pp. Hardcover. $24.95

I feel a little closer to this topic than I did six months ago. In August I
was diagnosed with a suspicious lump which was removed and found to be
benign. I joined the group of 700,000 (mostly) women who have biopsies
performed each year.

The rise of breast cancer in America is grim news indeed. In 1996, 186,000
were diagnosed with breast cancer; 46,000 died from it. Since 1960, 960,000
women have died from the disease (more than all Americans who died in World
Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War combined). Breast cancer is
the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 35 and 54.

One could say that we are losing the war against breast cancer, to
paraphrase Richard Nixon's famous pronouncement, not because we are refusing
to fight the war with aggressive treatments but because we are not being
informed as to how to limit our risk of developing the disease.

In looking over the "Dirty Dozen" list developed by authors Epstein,
Steinman and LeVert, the influence of "big" medicine and big business cannot
be overlooked:
The Dirty Dozen: Twelve Common but Unpublicized Risks for Breast Cancer
Modern Medical Risks
*Oral contraceptives, with early and prolonged use
*Estrogen replacement therapy, with high doses and prolonged use
*Premenopausal mammography, with early and repeated exposure
*Nonhormonal prescription drugs such as some hypertensives
*Silicone gel breast implants, especially those wrapped in polyurethane foam
Diet and Environmental Risks
*Diet high in animal fat contaminated with undisclosed carcinogens and
estrogenic chemicals
*Exposure in the home to household chemicals or pollution from neighboring
chemical plants and hazardous waste sites
*Workplace exposure to a wide range of carcinogens
Lifestyle Risks
*Alcohol, with early or excessive use
*Tobacco, with early or excessive use
*Inactivity and sedentary lifestyle
*Dark hair dyes, with early or prolonged use

Environ Health Perspect. 1993 Oct;101 Suppl 3: 297-302.
Human health risks due to consumption of chemically contaminated fishery
products.
Ahmed FE, Hattis D, Wolke RE, Steinman D.
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC 20418.

A small proportion of fishery products contaminated with appreciable amounts
of potentially hazardous inorganic and organic contaminants from natural and
environmental sources seem to pose the greatest potential for toxicity to
consumers of fishery products in the United States.
Health risks due to chemicals (e.g., modest changes in the overall risk of
cancer, subtle deficits of neurological development in fetuses and children)
are difficult to measure directly in people exposed to low levels.
Immunocompetence may increase cancer risk.
Inferences about the potential magnitude of these problems must be based on
the levels of specific chemical present, observations of human populations
and experimental animals exposed to relatively high doses, and theories
about the likely mechanisms of action of specific intoxicants and the
population distribution of sensitivity of human exposure.
Lognormal distributions were found to provide good descriptions of the
pattern of variation of contaminant concentrations among different species
and geographic areas;
this variability offers a solution for reduction of exposure through
restricting harvest of aquatic animals from certain sites and by excluding
certain species.
Available information suggest that risks are not generally of high
magnitude; nevertheless, their control will significantly improve public
health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 8143635 ]

"Designer Poisons: How to Protect Your Health and Home from Toxic
Pesticides," Marion Moses, M.D., an authority on pesticides, 1995 book.
[ Designer Poisons: How to Protect Your Health and Home from Toxic
Pesticides by Marion Moses, M.D., 1995. Soft cover, 413 pp., $19.95
http://www.pesticides.org/ Pesticide Education Center
P.O. Box 225279, San Francisco CA 94122-5279
Telephone 415-665-4722 Fax 415-665-2693 email: pec@...
http://www.pesticides.org/educmaterials.html ]

Others:
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,
Rachel Carson Council, Inc.,
HormoneWise Digest, Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly,
"Our Toxic Times" newsletter, a monthly publication of the Chemical Injury
Information Network (www.ciin.org),
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP),
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA),
Beyond Pesticides (ncamp.org),
EXTOXNET (Extension Toxicology Network). Sheila Bastien, Ph.D., is a
neuropsychologist who has served on the California Senate Subcommittee
Advisory Panel on Environmental Illness/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity,
author of an article on "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - How to Reduce Your
Toxic Load," on alternativemedicine.com, and dozens of other articles from
health magazines and web sites.

[ http://www.ciin.org/ "Our Toxic Times" newsletter
Chemical Injury In;formation Network
P.O. Box 301, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
406.547.2255 Voice 406.547.2455 Fax chemicalinjury@...

http://extoxnet.orst.edu/
The EXtension TOXicology NETwork
Terry L. Miller millert@... extoxnet@...

EXTOXNET is a cooperative effort of University of California-Davis, Oregon
State University, Michigan State University, Cornell University, and the
University of Idaho. Primary files are maintained and archived at Oregon
State University.

So... Are you looking for a source of objective, science-based information
about pesticides - written for the non-expert? The EXTOXNET InfoBase may be
for you!
The EXTOXNET InfoBase provides a variety of information about pesticides.
Access the Pesticide Information Profiles (PIPs) for specific information on
pesticides.
Toxicology Information Briefs (TIBs) contain a discussion of certain
concepts in toxicology and environmental chemistry.
Other topic areas include: Toxicology Issues of Concern (TICs), Factsheets,
News about Toxicology Issues, Newsletters, Resources for Toxicology
Information, and Technical Information.
Information in these topic areas primarily has been developed by
toxicologists and chemists within the Extension Service of the land-grant
universities listed below.
A major goal has been to develop unbiased information in a form
understandable by the non-expert, and to make that information fully
searchable and selectively retrievable. ]

Save time! Get the latest medical news in your email every week with our
newsletter.

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please
click here.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/index.php?page=feedback&title=Feedback
Medical News Today
83 Filsham Road, St. Leonards, East Sussex, TN38 0PE, United Kingdom.
Tel: (+44) (0) 1424 434208 Fax: (+44) (0) 1424 716516
Send medical & health news press releases:
pressrelease@...
*****************************************************************

http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehyde_1990.html full text Jack Dwayne
Thrasher, Alan Broughton, Roberta Madison. Immune activation and
autoantibodies in humans with long-term inhalation exposure to formaldehyde.
Archives of Environmental Health. 1990; 45: 217-223. "Immune activation,
autoantibodies, and anti-HCHO-HSA antibodies are associated with long-term
formaldehyde inhalation." PMID: 2400243

Confirming evidence and a general theory are given by Pall (2002):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/909
testable theory of MCS type diseases, vicious cycle of nitric oxide &
peroxynitrite: MSG: formaldehyde-methanol-aspartame:
Martin L. Pall: Murray: 2002.12.09 rmforall

Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Sep; 111(12): 1461-4.
Elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite theory of multiple chemical sensitivity:
central role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the sensitivity mechanism.
Pall ML.
School of Molecular Biosciences, 301 Abelson Hall, Washington State
University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. martin_pall@...

The elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite and the neural sensitization
theories of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are extended here to propose
a central mechanism for the exquisite sensitivity to organic solvents
apparently induced by previous chemical exposure in MCS.
This mechanism is centered on the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
receptors by organic solvents producing elevated nitric oxide and
peroxynitrite, leading in turn to increased stimulating of and
hypersensitivity of NMDA receptors.
In this way, organic solvent exposure may produce progressive sensitivity to
organic solvents.
Pesticides such as organophosphates and carbamates may act via muscarinic
stimulation to produce a similar biochemical and sensitivity response.
Accessory mechanisms of sensitivity may involve both increased blood-brain
barrier permeability, induced by peroxynitrite, and cytochrome P450
inhibition by nitric oxide.
The NMDA hyperactivity/hypersensitivity and excessive nitric
oxide/peroxynitrite view of MCS provides answers to many of the most
puzzling aspects of MCS while building on previous studies and views of this
condition. PMID: 12948884

Prof. Pall describes processes by which an initial trigger exposure, such as
carbon monoxide or formaldehyde, can generate hypersensitivity to many
substances. He himself had recovered from a sudden, debilitating attack of
multiple chemical sensitity in June/July 1997.
************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1071
research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity:
Murray 2004.06.24 rmforall

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

[ NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, Benevia, E951 ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/927
Donald Rumsfeld, 1977 head of Searle Corp., got aspartame FDA approval:
Turner: Murray 2002.12.23 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1039
three-page review: aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) toxicity:
Murray 2003.11.22 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1026
brief aspartame review: formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.11 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1025
aspartame & formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1094
the 11% methanol component of aspartame becomes formaldehyde, now ruled a
carcinogen by WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer: Murray
2004.06.16 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1088
Murray, full plain text & critique:
chronic aspartame in rats affects memory, brain cholinergic receptors, and
brain chemistry, Christian B, McConnaughey M et al, 2004 May:
2004.06.05 rmforall

Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2004 May; 78(1): 121-7.
Chronic aspartame affects T-maze performance, brain cholinergic receptors
and Na(+),K(+)-ATPase in rats.
Christian B, McConnaughey K, Bethea E, Brantley S, Coffey A, Hammond L,
Harrell S, Metcalf K, Muehlenbein D, Spruill W, Brinson L, McConnaughey M.
Department of Pharmacology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina
University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC 27811.
http://www.ecu.edu/pharmacology/faculty/mcconnaughey.html
Mona M. McConnaughey, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor
Department: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Office: Brody Medical Science 6E-120A 252-744-2756
MCCONNAUGHEYM@...

This study demonstrated that chronic aspartame consumption in rats can lead
to altered T-maze performance and increased muscarinic cholinergic receptor
densities in certain brain regions.
Control and treated rats were trained in a T-maze to a particular side and
then periodically tested to see how well they retained the learned response.
Rats that had received aspartame (250 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water for 3
or 4 months showed a significant increase in time to reach the reward in the
T-maze, suggesting a possible effect on memory due to the artificial
sweetener.
Using [(3)H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) (1 nM) to label muscarinic
cholinergic receptors and atropine (10(-6) M) to determine nonspecific
binding in whole-brain preparations,
aspartame-treated rats showed a 31% increase in receptor numbers when
compared to controls.
In aspartame-treated rats, there was a significant increase in muscarinic
receptor densities in the
frontal cortex, midcortex, posterior cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and
cerebellum of 80%, 60%, 61%, 65%, 66% and 60%, respectively.
The midbrain was the only area where preparations from aspartame-treated
rats showed a significant increase in Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity.
It can be concluded from these data that long-term consumption of aspartame
can affect T-maze performance in rats and alter receptor densities or
enzymes in brain. PMID: 15159141

A Searle Laboratories team in 1976 reported that in 4 monkeys fed aspartame,
by 12 hours: "...the major fraction (70%) of the [aspartate] label appeared
in the expired air (Fig.6)...Urinary and fecal 14C [ aspartate derived ]
amounted to 4--6% of the administered [ aspartate ] label."

This gives a total of a maximum 76% excreted aspartate from the aspartame,
indicating that 24% of this excitotoxin was retained in the body. It is
reasonable to conclude that daily use of aspartame must lead to substantial
accumulation of this excitotoxin, aspartate, in body tissues.

Their 1979 review said: "Aspartame... is hydrolyzed in the gut to yield
aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol....
Aspartate may also be incorporated into body constitutents such as other
amino acids, proteins, pyrimidines, asparagine, and N-acetylaspartic acid."

J Environ Pathol Toxicol. 1979 Mar-Apr; 2(4): 979-85.
A review of the metabolism of the aspartyl moiety of aspartame in
experimental animals and man.
Ranney RE, Oppermann JA.
Department of Drug Metabolism and Radiochemistry, Searle Laboratories,
Skokie, Illinois. Division of G.D. Searle and Co. Box 5110, Chicago, IL
60680

Aspartame (3-amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenethyl) succinamic acid, methyl ester;
the methyl ester of aspartylphenylalanine, SC-18862) is hydrolyzed in the
gut to yield aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol.
This review of the literature describes the metabolic paths followed by
aspartate in its conversion to CO2 or its incorporation into body
constituents.
About 70 percent of 14C from [asp-14C]-aspartame is converted in the monkey
to 14CO2.
Some of the aspartate is converted at the intestinal mucosal level to
alanine by decarboxylation.
This amino acid may be oxidized to CO2 by entering the tricarboxylic acid
cycle via pyruvate and acetyl CoA.
In addition, transamination of aspartate to oxaloacetate permits this
product also to enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Aspartate may also be incorporated into body constitutents such as other
amino acids, proteins, pyrimidines, asparagine, and N-acetylaspartic acid.
It is concluded that the aspartate moiety of aspartame is metabolized in a
manner similar to that of dietary aspartic acid.
Publication Types: Review PMID: 376770

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1067
eyelid contact dermatitis by formaldehyde from aspartame, AM Hill & DV
Belsito, Nov 2003: Murray 2004.03.30 rmforall [ 150 KB ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
115 members, 1096 posts in a public searchable archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages
802 members, 16,995 posts in a public, searchable archive

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 L diet soda,
almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol).
The methanol is immediately released into the body after drinking--
unlike the large levels of methanol locked up in complex molecules inside
many fruits and vegetables.
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 L of water.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/835
ATSDR: EPA limit 1 ppm formaldehyde in drinking water July 1999:
Murray 2002.05.30 rmforall

This long-term low-level chronic toxic exposure leads to typical patterns of
increasingly severe complex symptoms, starting with headache, fatigue, joint
pain, irritability, memory loss, rashes, and leading to vision and eye
problems, and even seizures. In many cases there is addiction. Probably
there are immune system disorders, with a hypersensitivity to these toxins
and other chemicals.

J. Nutrition 1973 Oct; 103(10): 1454-1459.
Metabolism of aspartame in monkeys.
Oppermann JA, Muldoon E, Ranney RE.
Dept. of Biochemistry, Searle Laboratories,
Division of G.D. Searle and Co. Box 5110, Chicago, IL 60680
They found that about 70% of the radioactive methanol in aspartame put into
the stomachs of 3 to 7 kg monkeys was eliminated within 8 hours, with little
additional elimination, as carbon dioxide in exhaled air and as water in
the urine.
They did not mention that this meant that about 30% of the methanol must
transform into formaldehyde and then into formic acid, both of which must
remain as toxic products in all parts of the body.
They did not report any studies on the distribution of radioactivity in body
tissues, except that blood plasma proteins after 4 days held 4% of the
initial methanol.
This study did not monitor long-term use of aspartame.

The low oral dose of aspartame and for methanol was 0.068 mmol/kg, about 1
part per million [ppm] of the acute toxicity level of 2,000 mg/kg, 67,000
mmol/kg, used by McMartin (1979).
Two L daily use of diet soda provides 123 mg methanol, 2 mg/kg for a 60 kg
person, a dose of 67 mmole/kg, a thousand times more than the dose in this
study.
By eight hours excretion of the dose in air and urine had leveled off at
67.1 +-2.1% as CO2 in the exhaled air and 1.57+-0.32% in the urine, so 68.7
% was excreted, and 31.3% was retained.
This data is the average of 4 monkeys.
"...the 14C in the feces was negligible."

"That fraction not so excreted (about 31%) was converted to body
constituents through the one-carbon metabolic pool."
"All radioactivity measurements were counted to +-1% accuracy..."
This indicates that the results could not be claimed to have a precision of
a tenth of a percent. OK, so this is a nit-pick-- but I believe espousing
spurious accuracy is a sign of scientific insecurity.

The abstract ends, "It was concluded that aspartame was digested to its
three constituents that were then absorbed as natural constituents of the
diet."
Thus, the concept is very subtly insinuated that methanol, as a
constituent of aspartame, is absorbed as a natural constituent of the diet.
"Dietary methanol is derived in large part from fresh fruits and
vegetables."
This is a serious error, since the large amounts of methanol in fresh fruits
and vegetables are not readily released by human digestion. (W. C. Monte,
1984)
Nowhere in this report are mentioned the dread words, "formaldehyde" and
"formic acid".

Of course, methanol and formaldehyde toxicity studies are highly relevant to
the issue of aspartame toxicity. [ Aspartame has to be turned into its
toxic products, formaldehyde and formic acid, in the body, before it is
toxic, so some pro-aspartame reseach studies test aspartame outside the
body, and then proclaim that they have proved that it is not toxic. ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/915
formaldehyde toxicity: Thrasher & Kilburn: Shaham: EPA: Gold:
Wilson: CIIN: Murray 2002.12.12 rmforall

Thrasher (2001): "The major difference is that the Japanese demonstrated
the incorporation of FA and its metabolites into the placenta and fetus.
The quantity of radioactivity remaining in maternal and fetal tissues
at 48 hours was 26.9% of the administered dose." [ Ref. 14-16 ]

Arch Environ Health 2001 Jul-Aug; 56(4): 300-11.
Embryo toxicity and teratogenicity of formaldehyde. [100 references]
Thrasher JD, Kilburn KH. toxicology@...
Sam-1 Trust, Alto, New Mexico, USA.
http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehyde_embryo_toxicity.html full text

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782
RTM: Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums:
full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia 2002.01.17 rmforall
Jerry D Smith, Chris M Terpening, Siegfried OF Schmidt, and John G Gums
Relief of Fibromyalgia Symptoms Following
Discontinuation of Dietary Excitotoxins.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001; 35(6): 702-706.
Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA.
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a common rheumatologic disorder that is
often difficult to treat effectively.
CASE SUMMARY: Four patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome
for two to 17 years are described.
All had undergone multiple treatment
modalities with limited success. All had complete, or nearly complete,
resolution of their symptoms within months after eliminating monosodium
glutamate (MSG) or MSG plus aspartame from their diet.
All patients were women with multiple comorbidities
prior to elimination of MSG.
All have had recurrence of symptoms whenever MSG is ingested.

Siegfried O. Schmidt, MD Asst. Clinical Prof. siggy@...
Community Health and Family Medicine, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL
Shands Hospital West Oak Clinic Gainesville, FL 32608-3629
352-376-5071

http://www.perque.org/Fibromyalgia.pdf
A Novel Treatment for Fibromyalgia Imrpoves Clinical Outcomes in a
Community-Based Study.
Patricia A. Deuster, Russell M. Jaffe. RJaffe@...
Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. 1998; Vol. 6(2): 133-149.

http://www.perque.com/ info@... 800-525-7372

Using blood tests, the researchers ran a panel of 350 antigens including
environmental chemicals, food additives and preservatives, crustaceans,
diary products, fish, fruits, grains, meats, mollusks, and oils.

Normal, healthy people react to only two or less of this panel. The greatest
offenders were:

MSG 42.5 % (17 out of 40 patients)
Candida albicans 37.5
Caffeine 37
Chocolate/cocoa 37
Food colorings 37
Cola beverages 37
Cow Dairy Products 25
Sulfite/metabisulfite 22.5
Xylene 22.5
Yogurt 22.5
Aspartame 20
BHA 20
Cadmium 20
Lead 20
Tylenol 20
Yeast 20
Sodium benzoate 20
Orange 20
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