Posted on 05/14/2015 9:07:10 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
Formaldehyde is a simple and ubiquitous molecule, used in countless products and industrial processes. The compound is synthesized by virtually every life form, and does not accumulate in the environment. However, since formaldehyde (along with everything else) is a “chemical,” greedy fear entrepreneurs are more than willing to scare the public. In so doing, they not only extract millions of dollars in dubious donations, they routinely slander and libel dozens of perfectly fine products.
Unfortunately, when industry attempts to fight back, the prevailing media narrative is nearly always rigged against it, based on the puerile notion that the fear entrepreneurs are really selfless, crusading consumer advocates. Some commentators of good will believe that improving science education would drive these charlatans out of business, but I’m not so sure. Sad to say, the biggest promoters of chemophobia are government-funded academic scientists—purveyors of all manner of attention-grabbing, but often astoundingly bad studies.
In fairness, industry does have its few allies in academia, even if many of them are loathe to state anything definitive: “More research needs to be done…”
Perhaps the earliest popular nonsense regarding formaldehyde involves horror icon Bela Lugosi. Shortly after his death in 1956, rumors began to circulate—some based on his well-known alcohol and opioid addiction problems. None were more absurd than stories told of his being forced to “drink formaldehyde,” since he was unable to derive a buzz from alcohol.
First of all, formaldehyde is a gas, not a liquid at room temperature. The fixative fluid commonly, but incorrectly referred to as “formaldehyde,” is actually formalin—typically a 37% aqueous solution of formaldehyde in water. Notably, such an aqueous solution would polymerize, but for the addition of 10-15% methyl alcohol.
It is the methyl alcohol...
(Excerpt) Read more at coachisright.com ...
Yes. Certainly....I hear it is very dangerous for dead people. Causes cancer or something.
Sugar - cancer. Sugar - okay decades later. Sugar now causes global warming. Eggs - good, then bad, then good, now yolks are bad - future baby chickens bad apparently too. Bacon - good, bad and now unaffordable. DDT bad - still bad, it works too well and saves too many third world lives - bad. Alar - bad because of protections for Japanese apple growers - probably now morphed into some other insecticide not so name-tainted. Gluten - what the hell? Wheat belly, jelly-nelly who knows?
Sh!t There’s probably a Billy Joel song in here somewhere.
Science is our friend.
It is the methyl alcohol...
that will kill you immediately............................
Reminds me of an Abbot and Costello routine.
“Take this package over to Mel’s house. It’s for Mel to Hide”.
“What is it?”
“Formaldehyde.”
“But what is it?”
“Formaldehyde. For Mel to hide.”
We Didn’t Start the Fire..........lyrics need updating.............
Is that the movie where she was a whore wife who screwed some guy writing about bridges?
Formaldehyde is an A2 carcinogen and mutagen.
I think the movie was “Bridges of Madison County” with the Streep and Mr. “Build it and they will come” Costner.
I think about a woman that has some affair with a twit writing about bridges.
Sounds like you're channelling Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues
Actually, Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire.”
Careful, there. You're impugning the reputation of Clint Eastwood!
Gee....I thought it was Kevin Costner....my mind is going I guess. My bad.
That’s OK. Kevin Costner redeemed himself in my mind with his movie, Mr. Brooks. Truly twisted.
Another misconception: there is an old urban legend that PCP is “embalming fluid”/formaldehyde. Some idiots even dip joints or cigarettes in formaldehyde based on that, thinking it will somehow get them higher.
“that will kill you immediately............................”
Well, it depends on the dosage. If you are lucky, you might just go blind, get organ damage, or go into a coma.
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