We get a weekly magazine called Science News, and the week of April
23rd, 2005 included the following brief article. I was amazed that
they blew right over the bottle nipple issue, given the fact that a
nipple would be in contact with at least one body fluid for (I assume)
significantly longer than a condom or a balloon. Unfortunately, the
link is available to magazine subscribers only, so I posted the blurb
below.
Morgan Kennedy Henderson, IBCLC, LLLL
Wellesley, MA, USA
Balloons, condoms release likely carcinogens
Ben Harder
Balloons and condoms that come in contact with body fluids discharge
chemicals suspected of being human carcinogens, a study suggests. The
chemicals, called nitrosamines, are frequent by-products of the
vulcanizing process used to strengthen rubber and make it highly
elastic.
The chemicals cause cancer in lab animals. Governments in Europe and
North America recommend that manufacturers of baby-bottle nipples and
other products for infants restrict nitrosamine concentrations. Germany
also applies a similar, voluntary guideline to balloons.
Scientists at the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Institute
Stuttgart in Fellbach, Germany, immersed unrolled condoms for 1 hour in
a solution made to chemically resemble human sweat. Using a different
solution made to simulate saliva, they similarly exposed material cut
from balloons. Afterward, they tested the solutions for nitrosamines
that had leached from the rubber products.
The researchers found that up to 380 micrograms of nitrosamines were
released from each kilogram of balloon rubber exposed to a solution.
For the condoms, concentrations were as high as 660 µg/kg.
The researchers also tested balloons for substances that sometimes
become nitrosamines in the body. They found concentrations of these
chemicals, called nitrosatable compounds, up to 4,300 µg/kg.
In a separate experiment, the scientists compared leaching in 10
minutes of contact between condom rubber and artificial sweat with the
effect of an hour-long exposure. They found that most of the escaped
chemicals leached out soon after contact began.
Kathi Ellendt and her colleagues report their findings in the March
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. The team suggests that governments
might more aggressively regulate the chemical contents of balloons and
condoms.
References:
Altkofer, W. . . . K. Ellendt, et al. 2005. Migration of nitrosamines
from rubber productsAre balloons and condoms harmful to the human
health? Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 49(March):235-238. Abstract
available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.200400050.
Sources:
Kathi Ellendt
Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart
Schaflandstrasse 3/2
70736 Fellbach
Germany
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