Formaldehyde is a compound with various properties that are both valuable and dangerous. Formaldehyde is made of made of one carbon, two hydrogen, and one oxygen atom. Formaldehyde is a colorless liquid, with a strong odor. The compound also is highly flammable and toxic. Safety precautions should be taking when working with the chemical. (ScienceLab.com, 2013) When exposed to formaldehyde there are several irritating factors, such as sore throats, cough, scratchy eyes, and nose bleeds. The most common places of finding formaldehyde are in “clothes, paints, paper, leathers, deodorants, dyes and cosmetics” (Coleman, Davis, 1987) as well as various building materials. Formaldehyde is used in everyday life in various products, but is also considered harmful and a cause of death. The benefits and disadvantages of formaldehyde need to be debated before using or continuing use.
Formaldehyde is beneficial despite other arguments, and should continue to be used. Formaldehyde is used in embalming dead bodies. Many funeral directors continue to use formaldehyde to embalm the bodies, amidst controversy. “Modern-day embalming fluid is a mixture of…up to 5 percent formaldehyde, while a more concentrated form – up to 50 percent formaldehyde – is injected into the body” (Martin, 2011). About three gallons of the formaldehyde embalming fluid is used per body. Formaldehyde is one of the best chemicals to use when preserving bodies—keeping the body looking well and preventing odor. The alternatives are not as effective, and precautionary measures are taken to ensure the well-being of everyone involved in the process. Methenamine is a urinary antiseptic which metabolizes into formaldehyde if the urine is acidic and generally taken with Vitamin C to...
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...rieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC444724/pdf/aac00342-0050.pdf
ScienceLab.com. (2013, May 21). Formaldehyde [Material Safety Data Sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924095
Sole-Smith, V. (2011, March 9). How safe is that salon procedure? Retrieved from http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20472150_2,00.html
Sorin Group. (2009). Mitroflow aortic pericardial heart valve—model LX instructions for use—English. Retrieved from http://www.sorin.com/sites/default/files/roles/3/files/HV/450-07LS002%20(A).pdf
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Transcatheter aortic valve replacement or TAVR is the latest technology used principally for the treatment of aortic stenosis, a condition in which one of the major valves of the heart, the aortic valve, becomes tight and stiff, usually as a result of aging (3). Since many patients who need aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis are too sick to undergo major valve replacement surgery, they are unable to get the treatment they need. With the transcatheter aortic valve, this issue is bypassed because this valve can be implanted in the heart by accessing the patient’s heart through an artery in the groin. The valve can be inserted through a wire that can be pushed to the heart, and the old valve is simply pushed to the side when the new valve is implanted. This technology has been in use in the US with Edwards’ Sapiens valve since 2011 and has saved the lives of many patients with aortic stenosis (4).
Lane, Stuart. “Banning Animal Testing May Be Hazardous to Your Health.” Priorities Spring 2013: 23.
In the past four decades the cost of a funeral service has risen 1,328% (Boring) and that’s not just because Morticians wanted to out of pure greed. One must take into account that modern mortuaries are much more of a business than before. Prior to 1970, the majority of funeral homes were were independent, family run. Today about 14% of funeral homes are run by a publicly traded corporation (Boring) meaning there’s a plethora of capital involved in these businesses now. The homes are built better and by professionals rather than by individuals with some tools, the home’s are extremely more sanitary since there’s more than likely no one living in these funeral homes unlike before, and the quality of the products these services are providing is greater than before.
..., Welsh R, Feindel C, Lichtenstein S. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a Canadian Cardiovascular Society position statement. Can J Cardiol. 2012;28:520-8.
The MSDS, or material safety data sheet, for 2-butoxyethanol outlines basic health risks that accompany it, along with basic chemical and physical properties. One of the physical properties is the fact that it is a liquid at room temperature, which means it takes the shape of its container and its molecules are not definitively packed. Chemical properties include flammability, which is whether or not it ignites easily, and toxicity, whether or not it is poisonous to humans. 2-butoxyethanol is both flammable and toxic, meaning it does ignite easily and is poisonous to humans It says that 2-butoxyethanol has a health hazard number of two and fire hazard number of two. The health hazard number means that it can cause injury upon exposure and requires rapid medical treatment. The fire hazard number means that it can ignite w...
"Toxic Chemicals Used in Salon Products." Women's Voices For The Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
Embalming fluid’s main purpose is to slow the decomposition of the dead. Mainly found in morgues and funeral homes. The fluid involves the injection of chemicals into the body through the blood vessels for preservation of the body. The following compounds are found in embalming fluid, formaldehyde, methanol, and ethanol or ethyl alcohol. In embalming fluid products, the percentage of formaldehyde can range from 5 to 29 percent; ethyl alcohol content can vary from 9 to 56 percent. Ethyl alcohol is also a central nervous system depressant.
This chemical, tetrachloroethylene, is a great solvent for organic materials and very used in dry machines, but it is classified as a carcinogen; likewise, it can be used to degrease metal in the industry of automobile and metallurgy. Therefore, the amount of this liquid found in the research can be partially originated from these industries. Furthermore, the report is from the opinion of the population; in other words, the data depends on the truthfulness of the people who fill out a form provided by the ChemTrac. Even though the website provides essential information, some people could be lose in the steps which are four, or even provide wrong or just superficial information. Toronto Public Health affirms that they do not have correct information to count the cancer contribution which is the biggest contribution of the tetrachloroethylene from dry machines; indeed, in this report they interpreted that the dry machines caused this kind of issue considering the amount of cadmium and tetrachloroethylene found in the study. They also proposed about the creation of a specific by-law for this kind of issue which will be one of the solutions to solve this
...ng Through The Science On Marijuana: Facts, Fallacies, And Implications For Legalization." Mcgeorge Law Review 43.1 (2012): 91-108. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
Propionaldehyde [Fact sheet]. (2007, January 30). Retrieved January 5, 2014, from United States Department of Labor website: https://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_264250.html
Investigating Factors Affecting the Heat of Combustion of Alcohols PLANNING SECTION Introduction ------------ Alcohols are organic substances, and consist of Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon. All alcohols are toxic but the amount that can be tolerated by the human body varies for different alcohols. For example drinking small amounts of Methanol can lead to blindness and even death.
Imagine yourself as a mortician, certified as an embalmer, retort operator, funeral director, and a funeral cosmetologist. You get a call late at night, there’s been a terrible accident and someone has died. You arrive at the hospital and are directed to a small room where the body of the deceased is being held. There’s blood all over the sheets as the doctor and coronary assistant zip up the body bag and inform you the body was badly mangled in a car accident, which is going to make reconstructing the deceased very difficult. Your assistant puts the body on the stretcher and loads it into the hearse while you talk to the wife of the deceased man. She tells you they plan to have a funeral so you give her your card and a reassuring word before leaving the hospital and driving back to the funeral home. Now your job begins, not only will you have to reconstruct this man’s disfigured body, but you must meet with the family, discuss funeral arrangements, and deal with the family’s emotional trauma that comes with losing a loved one. Although working in the funeral business can be emotionally draining, it’s a satisfying feeling to see mourning families able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Despite the fact that working so closely with the deceased can be chilling, Mortuary science can be a thrilling field to work in.
causes many respiratory diseases (http://www.thetruth.com/issues/tbtc/behind.cfm).
Some examples of harmful toxins with difficult names include diethanolamine (DEA), formaldehyde, glucocorticoids, and triethanolamine (TEA). We are exposed to toxic chemicals in many ways. We may breathe them in as sprays and powders, swallow chemicals on our lips and, even rub them on our skin. According to a team of researchers who conducted a study on the relationship between exposure to phthalates and DNA damage on human sperm, “cosmetics frequently contain enhancers that allow ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin. Studies have found health problems in people exposed to common fragrance and sunscreen ingredients, including increased risk of sperm damage, feminization of the male reproductive system and low birth weight in girls” (Duty et al. 1164). There should be regulations banning toxic chemicals from personal care and beauty products because toxins are bad for our health (1), the consumer faith in cosmetic companies are suffering (2), and other countries recognized the effects and banned it while America has not