Posted on 06/05/2005 2:34:10 AM PDT by David Lane
....unless you could be the type of person to be concerned about trifles like cancer, death from inhalation problems and the odd birth defect (to name a few).
Latex is a natural rubber or is not in the slightest elastic (high modulus) until it undergoes a process called vulcanization.
This requires a large number of additives. Latex even in its natural form has proteins known to cause allergic reactions (Types I, II and IV -fatal).
The additives in vulcanization include: -
Benzene - Short term exposure to benzene may cause irritation to the nose, throat and lungs. It can also affect the nervous system, causing headaches, dizziness and slurred speech. At high levels of inhalation shallow breathing and death can result. Death has occurred after exposure to 20.000ppm for five to ten minutes or 7.500ppm for 30 minutes. Skin irritation, including redness and blistering can occur with skin contact. It is also absorbed very slowly through the skin. Long term exposure to this substance -- even at low concentrations -- can cause a number of symptoms including appetite loss, nausea, fatigue, headaches and dizziness. Mild anemia has been reported after exposure to 25ppm for several years and 100ppm for three months. At levels of 100ppm and 200ppm for periods of six months, or more, severe irreversible blood changes and damage to the liver and heart can occur. Benzene is a known carcinogen and it has been linked to increased risk of several forms of leukemia. In May 1977 the National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended that the TLV for benzene be reduced from 10ppm to 1ppm because of its carcinogenicity. NIOSH recommended that exposure to benzene be kept as low as possible and that the use of benzene as a solvent or dilutent in open operations should be prohibited. This standard of 1ppm was legally challenged by industry groups and never enforced. Although some rubber companies said they expected to meet the 1ppm recommendation, the established TLV remains at l0ppm. Sampling in rubber plants reveals that the level of benzene in the air is generally slightly greater than the NIOSH recommended standard of 1ppm. Researchers investigating solvent use in the rubber industry found that in order to maintain benzene vapour below 1ppm, mixtures of solvents could not contain greater than 0.1% benzene.
Toluene - This solvent, which is the major substitute for benzene, cannot be considered a completely safe alternative even though it has not been proven to be carcinogenic. The harmf ul effects of toluene include irritation of eyes, respiratory tract (nose, throat, lungs) and skin. Repeated or prolonged contact with the liquid can cause removal of all the natural oils from the skin resulting in dry, cracked skin. When splashed in the eyes, it can cause irritation and reversible damage. Acute exposure above the TLV of 100ppm can result in central nervous system depressions with symptoms including headache, dizziness, fatigue and muscular weakness as well as drowsiness and incoordination.
Thiazoles - Cause dermatitis reactions. 2-mercaptobenzothiozole is said to be especially irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.
Dithiocarbamates - Have been shown to be irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory organs. Possible carcinogens.
•Nitrosamines (N-nitrosodiphenylamine) Many nitrosamines are potent carcinogens but until recently this nitrosamine used as a retarder was not considered harmful. Recent experiments with rats indicted N-nitrosodiphenylam ine as a cause of cancer in the test animals. This substance also combines with other rubber chemicals to form other nitrosamines especially N-nitrosomorpholne which is linked with liver and respiratory cancer and kidney tumours.
In addittion almost all condoms have some type of lubricant such as carcinogenic talc or silicone (almost identical to that used in breast implants). Some even use the highly lethal N9 as a lubricant and spermicide.
If that was not enough in order to cause the vulcanized latex to gel on the former a coagulant is required. These salts are all highly toxic and not water soluable so the crystals remain embeded in the inner surface of the condom.
Condoms, cause for concern? You decide. It's your life after all.
"no evidence that more condoms leads to less AIDS"
"20 years into the pandemic there is no evidence that more condoms leads to less AIDS," stated Dr. Edward C. Green of Harvard's' Center for Population and Development Studies.
Citing data on condom availability in many African counties, Green went on to say that "we are not seeing what we expected: that higher levels of condom availability result in lower HIV prevalence."
Dr. Norman Hearst of the University of California — San Francisco supported this analysis with statistics on Kenya, Botswana, and other countries, which show an increasingly alarming pattern of increased condom sale correlation with rising HIV prevalence by year.
THE FLAWED CONDOM
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers, using powerful electron microscopes, have found that new latex, from which condoms are fabricated, contains "maximum inherent flaw[s]" (that is, holes) 70 microns in diameter. (9)
These holes are 700 times larger than the HIV-1 virus.
There are pores in latex, and some of the pores are large enough to pass sperm-sized particles. Carey, et al., observed leakage of HIV-sized particles through 33%+ of the latex condoms tested. In addition, as Gordon points out in his review, the testing procedures for condoms are less than desirable. United States condom manufacturers are allowed 0.4% leaky condoms (AQL). Gordon states, "The fluctuations in sampling permits many batches not meeting AQL to be sold." In the United States, 12% of domestic and 21% of imported batches of condoms have failed to meet the 0.4% AQL. (10)
9."Anomalous Fatigue Behavior in Polysoprene," Rubber Chemistry and Technology, Vol. 62, #4, Sep.-Oct. 1989.
10.Collart, David G., M.D., loc. cit.
THE SPERM VS. THE 'AIDS' VIRUS
A paper in the February 1992 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology reports that filtration techniques show the HIV-1 virus to be 0.1 micron (4 millionths of an inch) in diameter. It is three times smaller than the herpes virus, 60 times smaller than the syphilis spirochete, and 50 to 450 times smaller than sperm. (8)
8.Lytle, C. D., et al., "Filtration Sizes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 and Surrogate Viruses Used to Test Barrier Materials," Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 58, #2, Feb. 1992.
During Operation Desert Shield, every British soldier there got quite a few condoms allocated to him each month. American soldiers couldn't really figure out what the condoms were for: it was pretty much all guys in the middle of the desert, and there wasn't much to do all day except clean your rifle from all the sand and dust that had blown into the barrel. Then the Americans saw that the British soldiers would put a condom over the end of the barrel and secure it with a rubberband. This prevented sand from getting into the barrel...
Dear Koblenx,
Yes. Condoms do have their uses.
'Condoms make great slippers'
23/04/2005 13:43 - (SA)
New Delhi - Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex, most of the others are used to make saris, toys and bathroom slippers, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
The condoms are valuable to manufacturers because of the lubricant on them. Sari weavers place the condoms on their thread spools and the lubricant on the prophylactics is rubbed off on the thread, making it move faster through their sewing machines, The Economic Times newspaper quoted an Indian industry official as saying.
Sari makers also turn the condoms inside out, place them on their fingers and use the high-quality lubricant to polish gold and silver threads used in the traditional Indian women's outfits.
Best wishes,
David
There are other far safer forms of birth control. Condoms are bad news and should be banned.
Then the Americans saw that the British soldiers would put a condom over the end of the barrel and secure it with a rubberband. This prevented sand from getting into the barrel...
Even if you believe in 'AIDS' you cannot be so ill informed as to think condoms can protect against a virus HUNDREDS of times smaller than it's lattice structure, can you?
Or you of osmosis.
The movement from of thick to a thin solution through a semi permeable membrane.
I am familiar with osmosis. I also realize it takes some time for material to pass from the area of high concentration to the area of low concentration, and when high surface tension is involved it takes even longer. With a high enough surface tension it may not even occur. High sustained pressure on the low concentration side will speed up the process, but enough pressure to affect the process would blow out the condom.
Now, I don’t know about your habits – but I generally removed the condom rather quickly after use.
Dear R. Scott,
One can argue the effects of surface tension but the issue has really been settled by the Mariposa Institute Study.
The study used radioactive particles, the size of so called 'HIV', under simulated 'use' conditions.
Around 100 samples of each major condom brand were tested.
Results varied greatly between brands but failure rates as high as 100% were recorded.
The study was commissioned by Durex and so cannot be considered to have an anti condom bias.
I have the results somewhere on file and can post them if you are interested.
Best wishes,
David
ONE FINAL COMMENT
"With a high enough surface tension"
Do you understand the effect of silicone (used as a condom lubricant) on surface tension?
At around 50 centistrokes you could 'kiss surface tension' good bye.
Other condom lubricants have a similar effect.
That would be 5K strokes. Eather you are stroking MUCH faster then me, or you are reusing your condoms.
Lets be generous, 30 minutes/5000 strokes = 3 strokes/sec.
Still I'm with you on your endorsement of Polyurethane condoms. They are will worth the extra money.
Dear Dinsdale,
Very funny.
For any reader who does not know the term, 'centistrokes' is a measure of viscosity (thickness) of a fluid.
Polyurethene IS SAFER than latex but does have many similar processing additives and lubricants.
The other down side is they have a higher slippage factor due to lower modulus (not so elastic).
Best wishes,
David
Results varied greatly between brands but failure rates as high as 100% were recorded.
Do you understand the effect of silicone (used as a condom lubricant) on surface tension?
"One complete failure in 1,000 tests would result in a failure rate “as high as” 100%"
Wrong. One failure in 100 of a brand tested would result in a 1% failure rate. One hundred failures in 100 of a brand tested would result in a 100% failure rate.
Did you flunk maths at school?
btt
"I am familiar with lubricated condoms that have the lubricant on the outside"
You forget a hole or pore, is a bridge between the two surfaces, and in view of the thickness of the dipping no distinction can be made in terms of surface tension.
You are grasping at straws.
David,
How many threads have you started about condoms and birth control?
Do you get tired of it?
We do.
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