Formaldehyde? A carcinogen? Doesn’t that make Diet Sodas a health hazard?

Posted On June 11, 2011

Who is surprised by this? No one, I’m sure, but they HAD to do the studies to show that nasty chemicals do nasty things to healthy bodies.

The government on Friday added formaldehyde, a substance found in plastics and other commonly used products, to a list of known carcinogens ….

What does this have to do with Diet Sodas?

Nutrasweet is the pretty powder blue packet of synthetic sweetener called Aspartame. When this synthetic gets over 87 degrees F (you and I are 98.6 degrees F), it degrades to methanol, formic acid and … wait for it … formaldehyde.

Remember that smell from your high school BIO 101 class? The embalming smell of formaldehyde and those slick grey frogs you had to mutilate to get a peak at their internal organs? Yep. That’s formaldehyde.

That is what you get inside your body when you consume Nutrasweet (diet Cokes have Nutrasweet … just sayin’).

More From This New Report

People with higher exposure to formaldehyde were more at risk for nasopharyngeal cancer, myeloid leukemia and other cancers.
According to this report, “There is now sufficient evidence from studies in humans to show that individuals with higher measures of exposure to formaldehyde are at increased risk for certain types of rare cancers …“.

Besides Diet Sodas with Nutrasweet, Where Else Can You Get Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical widely used to make resins for household items, such as composite wood products, paper product coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers, and textile finishes.

It is also commonly used as a preservative in medical laboratories, mortuaries, and some consumer products, including hair straightening products.

U.S. adds formaldehyde to list of carcinogens | Reuters