Finalmente ho avuto modo di affrontare questo modulo 4, relativo alla salute... paradosso lessicale!
E' decisamente il più interessante fino ad ora e fa riferimento, in maniera comunque generica, ad ambiti diversi.
Come sempre il documento apre raccontando quali sono le fonti di contaminazione, dai soliti termometri all'amalgama dentaria passando per dispositivi medici quali misuratori di pressione, sonde gastriche, dilatatori dell'esofago, "cantor tubes" che paiono essere canule per la rimozione di blocchi intestinali, altri tubi per le canalizzazioni. L'utilizzo del mercurio, pur contenuto in minima parte, è giustificato dalla sua alta precisione nei dati che fornisce edil rischio, per personale lavoratore o pazienti, è presente solo in casi di fuoriuscite accidentali.
L'intossicazione avviene soprattutto per inalazione o contatto con la pelle ed aumenta in ambienti caldi e poco ventilati.
Le precauzioni da prendere sono più o meno quelle indicate per la rottura dei termometri: allontanare le persone, usare guanti di gomma e contenitori isolanti, areare,...
La sorpresa giunge ad un certo punto quando si parla di erboristeria cinese e prodotti ayurvedici.
Copio.
"> Mercury-containing compounds are found in certain Asian medicines, such as traditional Chinese patent medicine and Indian Ayurvedic preparations. Regular users of medicines containing mercury are at particular risk.
> Mercury in the form of ‘cinnabaris’ (mercury sulfide), calomel (mercury chloride) or ‘hydrargyri oxydum rubrum’ (mercury oxide) is included in some traditional Chinese herbal preparations (Ernst and Coon 2001; Ernst, 2002).
> A list of Traditional Chinese Patent medicines in the ‘Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China’ (English Edition, 1997) lists 43 different products containing one or more of these ingredients; these products are used for a wide variety of indications, including ulcers, insomnia, and epilepsy.
> Some textbooks note the toxicity of mercury-containing products but include recommendations for preparation processes that reportedly ‘detoxify’ them, such as heating them until they glow, or cooking them with other ingredients (Prpic-Majic et al., 1996; Ernst, 2002). Mercury is an element and cannot be
further broken down; therefore, no detoxification process is effective.
> Sold as non-prescription medicines, herbal products and dietary supplements, these compounds are rarely subjected to the same rigorous testing, quality control, labeling, import or distribution regulations as are other medicines.
> Traditional Chinese medicines and Ayurvedic preparations are widely advocated in Eastern countries and have become increasingly popular in the West where they are imported both legally and illegally and are often available in health food stores (Ernst, et al., 2001)."
> Mercury in the form of ‘cinnabaris’ (mercury sulfide), calomel (mercury chloride) or ‘hydrargyri oxydum rubrum’ (mercury oxide) is included in some traditional Chinese herbal preparations (Ernst and Coon 2001; Ernst, 2002).
> A list of Traditional Chinese Patent medicines in the ‘Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China’ (English Edition, 1997) lists 43 different products containing one or more of these ingredients; these products are used for a wide variety of indications, including ulcers, insomnia, and epilepsy.
> Some textbooks note the toxicity of mercury-containing products but include recommendations for preparation processes that reportedly ‘detoxify’ them, such as heating them until they glow, or cooking them with other ingredients (Prpic-Majic et al., 1996; Ernst, 2002). Mercury is an element and cannot be
further broken down; therefore, no detoxification process is effective.
> Sold as non-prescription medicines, herbal products and dietary supplements, these compounds are rarely subjected to the same rigorous testing, quality control, labeling, import or distribution regulations as are other medicines.
> Traditional Chinese medicines and Ayurvedic preparations are widely advocated in Eastern countries and have become increasingly popular in the West where they are imported both legally and illegally and are often available in health food stores (Ernst, et al., 2001)."
In sostanza si dice che vi sarebbero 43 prodotti di origine cinese, usati per vari scopi tra cui ulcera, insonnia ed epilessia, che conterrebbero mercurio sotto forme diverse. Sarebbero prodotti dietetici/integratori alimentari a base di erbe, non soggetti a specifica regolamentazione per la vendita.
Per quanto mi riguarda questo è un punto importante da approfondire nei prossimi post. Una volta tanto son contenta di essere europea...
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento