Acetaldehyde

Why So Many People Hate Scented Products

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It seems like the world is awash in scents of all kinds, from simple perfumes to scented candles, laundry products and personal hygiene items. Even many hotel rooms and taxis are beginning to come with a “signature” scent — all to the detriment of people with allergies or who simply don’t like the scents. According to Time Health, the problem is so severe that many people suffer migraines and breathing problems from this new scent-laced world.

One key problem with this is that manufacturers of these products are not required to disclose the ingredients, and are self-regulated through the International Fragrance Association (IFA). Manufacturers develop their fragrances by mixing a chemical cocktail to produce a scent, without regulation for the long-term consequences of exposure to those chemicals.

A study published in 2011 found over 25 different air pollutants, including those known to cause cancer, such as benzene and acetaldehyde, in the chemicals released by dryer sheets and fabric softeners. From chloroform to benzyl acetate to ethanol and more, several known carcinogenic compounds were found to be wafting from common household cleaning products.

In Europe, more than 1,300 chemicals are banned from use in lotions, soaps, toothpaste, cosmetics and other personal care products. Contrast that to in the U.S., where just 11 are banned — which means that if you live in the U.S. you’re on your own for protecting yourself from the onslaught. You can do this by “going green” all the way and refusing to purchase scented products, and switching over to organic brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics.

Is Sprite the cure for your hangover woes?

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Hungover? New research suggests you may want to reach for a can of Sprite.
A study published in the September 2013 issue of Food and Function showed that chemicals in the non-caffeinated beverage can halt that awful next-day feeling.
6 Photos “Hangover Heaven” bus rolls out in Las Vegas View the Full Gallery » While drinking too much alcohol could certainly lead to a hangover, the booze itself isn’t the culprit — it’s how it’s broken down. The authors point out that when the liver processes alcohol (also known as ethanol) it creates several chemical byproducts. One is called acetaldehyde,which causes the feelings of a hangover. Acetaldehyde eventually turns into acetate, which does not cause hangover symptoms and can provide some benefits like extra energy.
The Mayo Clinic cites additional reasons that alcohol can cause hangovers, including the beverage’s ability to cause your body to produce more urine — which in turn makes you dehydrated — and to trigger an inflammatory response from your immune system. Alcohol is also known to irritate the lining of your stomach, cause blood sugar to fall and expand blood vessels, leading to headaches. It also makes people sleepy and reduces their quality of sleep. There’s also the possibility that ingredients in alcohol that give it flavor called congeners, also add to that hangover.
The researchers focused on how to stop acetaldehyde from lingering in the body for too long. They believed that if they manipulated alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme that turns ethanol into acetaldehyde, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH, which turns acetaldehyde into acetate), they could shorten the time it took acetaldehyde to turn into acetate, essentially cutting the time the person was hungover.
5 Photos Hangover “cures” View the Full Gallery » The researchers tested 57 different beverages including Huo ma ren(a hemp-seed based beverage), various teas and different carbonated drinks.
Herbal teas were observed to slow down the process. However, Sprite and soda water were shown to speed up ALDH activity, which would theoretically curb the hangover.
Edzard Ernst, a medical expert at the University of Exeter in the U.K., told Chemistry World that the study was intriguing, but cautioned that people shouldn’t start stocking up on Sprite if they are going out on the town.
“These results are a reminder that herbal and other supplements can have pharmacological activities that can both harm and benefit our health,” Ernst said.
This isn’t the first scientific analysis of a hangover cure reported this year. Dr. Alyson E. Mitchell, a food chemist at the University of California at Davis, looked closely at the New Orleans-based hangover cure, Yak-a-mein soup. She found, for example, eggs in the soup help clear acetaldehyde from the body.